Destiny
by Rei Minomiko
Summary: *FINISHED!* Li Syaoran had always thought that the burdens of the entire clan lie solely on his shoulders. But, unknown to him, this was bound to change as he discovers that he has a BROTHER...in the person of Heero Yuy!!! (CCS/GWING crossover)
1. Prologue

Destiny  
By: rei-chan  
  
Standard Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unfortunately. All rights to these amazing ANIME belong to CLAMP, Kodansha, Sunrise, Bandai, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste all your time and money suing me. The court people won't get anything from me, anyway, except for a bunch of lousy grades, some cookie crumbs, a handful of unfinished research papers, and five cents.  
Author's Notes: I wanted something different, and I figured this would work. (I hope!)  
  
DESTINY by Rei-chan  
Prologue  
  
The Wing pilot's Prussian blue eyes burned with intense concentration as his Gundam fired another shot at the offending Leos. A few feet away from him, Deathscythe Hell swung its huge green thermal scythe forward in a graceful yet deadly arc, completely cutting five mobile suits in half. They exploded in a huge orange flame as Deathscythe's pilot, Duo Maxwell, cackled insanely at the display before moving on to decimate the other scattered Oz troops in space.  
  
Without taking his eyes away from the battle, Heero Yuy's arm snaked up to his right to flick on his visuals unit, changing the frequency to communicate with Gundam Sandrock. The serene face of Quatre Raberba Winner appeared on the screen.  
  
"04 in."  
  
Heero tapped on the monitor to zoom in on his comrade's face. "04, report current mission status."  
  
His calm demeanor unwavering, Quatre shook his head. "We're still working on it. Apparently Oz had known that we were coming, and had sent five battalions of Leos to guard the base." His expression faltered a little as an explosion nearby illuminated his boyish face. "We are already hard-pressed as it is, Heero. I'm sorry." He said softly.  
  
The Wing pilot's mouth thinned, if that was even possible, considering his permanently worn stolid mask. "Ryoukai." He said tightly.  
  
As the Sandrock pilot's face disappeared from view, Heero did a quick review of the mission parameters in his head even as he released five missiles into space. All five hit their respective targets with deadly accuracy. The number of the mobile troops waiting for them was overwhelming, and as skilled and capable as the two pilots were, the fact that they were outnumbered was pretty obvious. Absently his blue eyes looked down to his left, were the gray self-destruct button sat, innocent and almost inconspicuous.   
  
It seemed to be mocking him in his ability to accomplish his mission.  
  
"Die, you bastard, die!!!" Duo's enraged growl broke the dark-haired boy out of his reverie just in time to see his comrade pull up his thermal scythe to bear down on a Leo. The offending mecca exploded, but soon, five more had moved forward to take its place. He could hear his partner swer loudly in irritation as he continued his attack.  
  
Coming to a decision, Heero immediately began typing the access codes for program transfer and reconfiguration on his computer panel. Pausing only to switch to Deathscythe's frequency, he tapped the screen to zoom in on his partner's eerily calm face. "Duo."  
The braided pilot replied without looking up from his control panel. "Yeah?"  
  
"We are outnumbered."  
  
Duo turned exasperated amethyst eyes at his commander. "Really, Heero. State the obvious." He muttered sarcastically while rolling his eyes. Grumbling under his breath, he went on with his fight.  
  
Click. With the program download in progress, the dark-haired boy used this opportunity to unbuckle his safety harness. Once his Gundam's entire database was downloaded, he clicked on the enter button.  
  
The screen in front of him read: Data transfer from 01 to 02 in progress…  
  
He palmed around for the self-destruct button. "Duo." He called out once more as his prying fingers made contact with the detonating device.  
  
"WHAT?! I KNOW were damn outnumbered ok? So quit bugging me and just fight, Heero!"  
  
The Wing pilot was not at all fazed by the threat in Duo's voice. "Shift to plan B-3. I repeat, shift to plan B-3."  
  
Duo looked at his panel monitor and cursed loudly when he saw the file transfer in progress. "Oh, fuck you, Yuy! You're not planning on blowing Wing up to all seven hells AGAIN, are you?" he asked incredulously. Absently he swung at a Leo trying to shoot his Gundam on the knee with an almost lazy motion as he turned all his attention to his suicidal friend.   
  
"You're damn right I am, Maxwell. You will be in charge after this."  
  
"Yuy, stop the bullshit and just fight, ok? We can handle these fucking bastards without blowing ourselves up to kingdom come." Seven Leos blew up as a shot from Heero's Buster Rifle hit them. "You DON'T have to get yourself fucking killed!"  
  
The eighty-battalion Oz troop was closing in on the two pilots as all their efforts to ward them off failed.  
  
The Wing pilot's voice was hollow as he replied, "It's what all of this is about, isn't it?." With that, he pressed the button.  
  
An explosion like no other shook everything within the thirty-mile diameter, before everything went mercifully black.  
  
TBC  
  
--so how was it? should i continue to write more of this, or should i just stop? i really need to know, you guys, that's why i'll really appreciate it if you review my work! ^_^ 


	2. Raiu's Return

Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unfortunately. All rights to these amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha, Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda, yadda, yadda, so don't waste your time trying to sue me! "Your 'corporate boogeyman' won't get anything valuable from me, anyway, except for a bunch of lousy grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.  
  
Author's Notes: I'm back, minna! Thank you ssssssoooooooooo much for your reviews! I honestly thought that this fic would be a little too far-fetched for you guys to be interested. Luckily your enthusiasm encouraged me to continue with this story. So, without further ado, here goes...  
  
* drum roll *  
  
DESTINY by rei-chan  
  
Chapter One: Raiu's Return  
  
"Syaoran-sama?"  
  
Li Syaoran looked up from his Lasin board as he heard Wei's voice. "Yes?" he asked his butler, noting the tight creases of worry on his forehead as the old man approached his young master. "What's wrong?" As much as it concerned him to see his butler and mentor in obvious distress, the future leader of the Li clan was impatient to get back to examining his Lasin board. Just a few minutes before Wei had called on him Syaoran felt an unfamiliar power in the air and was trying to track down the source.  
  
"You're mother left her study just a few moments ago."  
  
The young boy raised an eyebrow at Wei's announcement. "And?" he prompted, nodding his head slightly in encouragement as his butler visibly fidgeted.  
  
"Alone."  
  
Syaoran couldn't see the point of Wei's worries. Li Ieran always leaves on her own. "So? What does this have to do with me, Wei?" he asked, the slightest trace of impatience evident in his voice as he glanced briefly at his glowing Lasin board.  
  
Wei licked his lips nervously before speaking. "She was laughing like a woman possessed, Syaoran-sama. And yelling." He paused to take a deep breath and stared helplessly as Syaoran's face widened in horror. "She was yelling something about Raiu having finally returned...Over and over again."  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
"Oi, Yuy! Wake up you suicidal idiot! Something's fucking wrong around here!"  
  
The incessant tugging on his tank top was what brought the Perfect Soldier back to consciousness. Slowly pushing himself up to a sitting position, he winced as his ribs suddenly protested in pain. Quickly covering up his discomfort with a grunt, Heero slowly stood up from the ground, his expressionless mask slipping back in place, and looked around.  
  
His normally inexpressive blue eyes widened as the unfamiliar sight greeted him.  
  
Their mobile suits, as well as the Oz battalion that they were battling with, were gone.  
  
His astonished eyes wandered around the unfamiliar scenery in disbelief, taking in the gently sloping hills surrounding the area where they were currently located. Acres of farm and lush meadow stretched in almost unending miles, all the way up to the hills, and the soft, chirping sound of birds and other insects could be heard from a distance. The infinite stretch of space that the two pilots were accustomed to seeing almost everyday of their lives was gone, replaced by this stunning view out of a picturesque painting.   
  
Footsteps approached softly from behind him and the Wing pilot reacted fast, smoothly sliding his gun off of its holster and aiming it at the newcomer, which turned out to be Duo Maxwell.  
  
Completely ignoring the gun trained directly in front of his face, the braided boy pounced on his comrade. "Ne, Heero! What happened, man? Was there a blackhole out in space somewhere? My sensors didn't detect anything out of the ordinary while we were neck to neck with those Oz fuckers, so that couldn't be possible but of course still considerable. But what do you think caused us to get here, wherever 'here' is? What, Oh Perfect One?" He said all this very fast.  
  
"Shut up." The danger in the Wing pilot's voice was unmistakable as he glared darkly at his partner, who was jiggling his foot impatiently as he waited for his answer.  
  
"But--"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
But Duo was persistent. "Hee--" he began.  
  
"Maxwell--" The dark-haired boy cut him off, his voice almost a growl. Duo opened his mouth to protest when all a sudden, his amethystine eyes narrowed. Without warning, the braided pilot whipped out his own gun and pointed it at Heero's direction. The latter didn't even flinch.   
  
"Who are you?" The normally cheerful voice of the Deathscythe pilot had gone icy cold.  
  
Taken aback by this, it took the Perfect Soldier a full solid minute to notice that they were not alone. Cursing under his breath for his lack of focus, Heero spun around and trained his own gun on Duo's target.  
  
A tall, beautiful woman stood a few feet away from them, clad in an expensive-looking white Oriental robe, with jade hoops hanging on a slim belt around her waist. "There is no need for bloodshed," she said calmly. "I come not as a threat to you."  
  
"Don't bitch around with me. I asked you who the hell you are; answer the damn question."  
  
The woman merely blinked at the threat in Duo's voice. Her gaze, which had been trained on the Deathscythe pilot's expressionless face, shifted, and landed on Heero's, her dark eyes catching the boy's Prussian ones.  
  
She smiled.  
  
The Wing pilot froze as his hair stood up on its ends. There was something about the woman that felt...familiar to him.  
  
It was as if Heero KNEW her, and she, in turn, knew HIM.  
  
His gun arm wavered slightly.  
  
The woman briefly glanced at his weapon before speaking softly, "Okaeri ne, Heero Yuy. Or should I say, Li Raiu."  
  
==TBC==  
  
---wowiee!!! had to wring out a LOT of my creative juices for that one! i'm sooooo sorry about that cliffy, you guys! it had to happen!   
  
please review! I'll discontinue this if you don't! ^_^ 


	3. Long-Lost Brothers

Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unfortunately. All rights to these amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha, Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time suing me! Your 'corporate boogeyman' won't get anything valuable from me, anyway, except for a bunch of lousy grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.  
  
Author's Notes: * wipes sweat off her forehead with a white handkerchief * Well, here ya go, minna! Chapter two! This is going to be a lot longer than the first chapter, since Ieran's narration about how Heero got to AC 195 and back to 1999 Hongkong took up almost ten pages of my notebook. ^_^ Just consider this as my way of making up for the rather short chapter one.  
  
PinkCherryBlossom ===thank you sooo much for urging me to write more of this! I really needed that ego boost! I was really scared that you guys would think of my story as worthless!  
  
  
DESTINY by rei-chan  
  
Chapter Two: Long-Lost Brothers  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
Heero's question hung in midair as he and the woman eyed each other apprehensively. Duo watched the two of them in their staring match in confusion. 'What the hell's going on here?' he wondered to himself, aware of Heero's gun arm wavering slightly from the peripheral of his vision as the woman in white stared back at him. 'How the fuck did she know Heero Yuy's name?'  
  
"What did you just say, onna?" The Wing pilot's voice was barely a whisper. He forcefully ignored the pounding of his heart and the continous rush of blood to his head as the woman's eyes remained fixed on his. "Answer me." Or else. The unspoken threat hung in the air as he released the safety latch on his pistol with shaking fingers.  
  
The woman held a white embroidered fan(1) to her mouth, closed her eyes and bowed slightly at the two pilots. "A gesture of welcome, Heero Yuy. For your long-awaited homecoming." she said regally. Opening her eyes, she took a step forward at the two boys.  
  
Heero felt a strange force pushing him on all sides, completely immobilizing his entire body.   
'Wha-what is this?' he thought in alarm as the fact that he could not control his own body dawned on him. 'I-I c-cann-n't m-mo-ve.' His gun fell from his suddenly lax fingers.  
  
Duo turned to him with wide eyes as he, too, struggled to break free from the unknown force holding him. "What the fuck--Heero, wha-what's going on?" he cried out in panic, his own weapon landing on the soft grass by his feet.  
  
The woman watched them struggle against whatever it was that bound them, her mysterious dark eyes still fixed intently on the Wing pilot's Prussian ones. Suddenly, her voice seemed to fill Heero's head, completely taking him by surprise. 'You can fight the binding force, Heero Yuy. You have the strength to..' Her voice was magnified, as if she had been speaking through a megaphone.  
  
The dark-haired soldier tried with all his might to move his arms and legs, but to no avail.   
  
'Feel the power within you, Li Raiu. Use it.'  
  
'Shut up.'  
  
'Use it to break free, Raiu.'  
  
'Shut up!'  
  
'Fight the binding force...use your magic...'  
  
"Get the hell out of my head!" Heero suddenly screamed out loud. A strange feeling then started snaking its way up from the soldier's stomach to his arms, bringing along with it a white-hot sensation that was both painful and pleasant at the same time.   
  
Thunder boomed loudly from the sky.   
  
In a sudden flash of green light, both Heero and Duo landed on the ground with resounding thuds.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
A few meters away from where the three were located, Li Syaoran's head suddenly jerked in attention as he felt the pull of an unfamiliar magic nearby.   
  
~ 0 ~  
  
Duo clutched at his chest as he struggled to breathe in oxygen, sweat trickling down his forehead as he stared in disbelief at Heero Yuy's equally stunned face. "What--" the braided pilot gasped between pants, "--the FUCK was that?!" His other hand strained forward to thug at his comrade's tank top as Heero tried to catch his own breath.  
  
A pair of slippered feet stepped in front of the two soldiers and both looked up to find the strange woman's solemn gaze fixed on the Wing pilot's face. The latter's throat tightened as he felt another strange tingling sensation in his stomach. "The power of Thunder." the woman in white whispered thickly, her eyes filling with unshed tears. "How long had the clan waited for this..." She trailed off and bit her lip.  
  
Through the loud pounding of his heart, Heero managed to choke out, "Who are you?"  
  
She seemed to regain her composure upon hearing this question. Taking a deep breath, she   
simply replied. "Li Ieran. Anata no okasan des."(2)   
  
~ 0 ~  
  
The slender beam of light coming from Syaoran's Lasin board was pointing towards a nearby clearing. 'The source of magic.' Indeed, the amber-eyed lad felt the unfamiliar presence coming from that direction. Eyes narrowing, he unclasped the chain of the black tassel(3) around his neck. Holding it in front of him, Syaoran closed his eyes and tapped on the magic that was a part of him.  
  
"Force, know my plight. Release the light."   
  
Instantly his long sword appeared in his hand.  
  
He approached the area where the magic was coming from and crouched behind the thick bushes, carefully peeking one eye out to investigate.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
It took the boys a full minute for realization to sink in.  
  
"You have got to be kidding." Duo Maxwell burst out in disbelief as he jumped to a stand, all pretense of pain forgotten. "That is, like, the most fucked up thing I've ever heard in my   
entire life!" he exclaimed.  
  
Beside him, Heero stood back up on his feet soundlessly. "Explain." he commanded to the woman in an eerily calm voice. He was still recovering from the unfamiliar sensation he felt earlier, but the weight of the pistol he had in his hand comforted him. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Duo eyeing his gun discreetly while he himself fumbled for the spare weapon he always had hidden in an inter-pants holster.  
  
The woman claiming to be his mother seemed unsurprised at the two boys' reactions. Rather, she acted as though she had expected these from them. Gracefully she held out a manicured hand at them. In a matter of seconds, Heero had released the safety latch on his gun and pointed it at her head.   
  
"Yamero!"  
  
All three turned as they heard the angry cry. A boy of about eleven was charging towards them, brandishing a huge sword at the two pilots as he ran. Smoothly the braided boy pointed his own gun to bear at the newcomer. "Stop right there, little one." he taunted, the manical gleam back in his eye as he smiled coldly at the smaller boy.  
  
Ieran started. "Syaoran!" she called out.  
  
The boy ignored her. Eyes flashing, he advanced towards the two pilots, sword raised and ready to attack.   
  
"Stay away from my mother!"  
  
"Syaoran, matte!"  
  
The young boy paused from his running to snarl at the two older boys. As Duo stared at the strange boy glowering at him and Heero, he was struck by a sudden realization.  
  
The boy looked a LOT like his comrade. Down to the very last detail. Same full lips, sculpted cheekbones, and a mane of tousled brown hair. If it weren't for the difference in their eye colors, the smaller boy could easily be mistaken as an eleven year old version of--  
  
'Wait a minute...'  
  
The Deathscythe pilot's amethystine eyes widened as his head turned back and forth from his partner and the younger boy.  
  
Li Ieran claimed to be Heero's mother.  
  
This little boy referred to Li Ieran as 'my mother'.  
  
His partner and the boy looked like a stone split in half.  
  
Therefore...  
  
His thought process was interrupted as Li Ieran calmly addressed the two scowling boys. "Yamete, Syaoran. That boy, Li Raiu...he is your brother."  
  
TBC  
  
---Phew. Seems that this chapter is a little shorter than I expected. Demo, don't worry, minna-chan! Chapter three and four are currently being worked on! Again, arigato gozaimasu for the wonderful reviews!!!  
  
BTW, for those who still have not checked on my other works, please read and review 'I Believe' and 'Meeting'. I don't think you'll be disappointed!  
  
FOOTNOTES:  
  
1. I've come to believe that Li Ieran's power is generated through her fan, judging from how she used it to create an entrance way through that red field thingie in the CCS first movie. I don't really expect you to agree with this, but, just to make it clear, this belief of mine will be applied to the rest of the story. ^_^  
  
2. Most of you probably know the translation for this, but assuming that you don't, this actually means "Your mother."  
  
3. Is that little black ball actually called a tassel? According to the technical definition of the word, a tassel is a fluffy ball of some sort. Anyway, if you guys know what that ball is called, let me know so that I can make corrections. 


	4. The Truth Unfolded

Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unfortunately. All rights to these amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha, Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't even think about suing me! You 'corporate boogeyman' on't be getting anything valuable from me anyway, except for a bunch of lousy grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 ballpen, and some crumpled research papers.  
  
Author's Notes: Wow! I'm really overwhelmed! You guys really do like my story! Again, many thanks to all those who reviewed. May the hand of Clow-sama bless you * hehehehe * BTW, Yui Ran, Kim Pai, the Tzes and all the other unfamiliar names you would be encountering in this chapter and in the succeeding ones are all products of my own twisted mind!  
  
Now here's the third chapter, guys!  
  
DESTINY by rei-chan  
  
Chapter Three: The Truth Unfolded  
  
It took Ieran quite a while to finally convince all three boys not to kill each other, and longer still to convince the two older ones to come up to the Li mansion--peacefully-- to talk. The long-haired lad had pointed out that the place which they were in was as good as any place to start clearing up this matter, and Syaoran had backed him, saying in a rather menacing voice that villains like the two older boys should not be allowed to set foot in HIS house and threaten HIS family. This led the older boy to start waving his gun around in irritation, while Syaoran pulled out one of his ofudas as both shouted insults at each other. Finally, Heero Yuy had added his two cents.  
  
Li Ieran stared in shocked amusement at the two shining gun barrels in front of them as they all sat around the Li mansion's dining room with a tray of tea and sweet buns. Heero had explained in a monotone that the weapons were for safety precautions, since he and his partner would be venturing into unchartered territory.  
  
The long-haired, violet-eyed boy, who had grudgingly introduced himself as Duo Maxwell, sat with his arms crossed over his chest beside the stoic form of Heero Yuy, who was sitting across Ieran. Syaoran was positioned beside his mother, glaring darkly at the two boys.  
  
After almost five minutes of silence, it was Heero who finally broke the ice. "Explain." was his simple statement.  
  
"And you damn better be good." Duo added angrily.  
  
Ieran briefly closed her eyes as she gathered her wits about her. Her narration was going to be a long one, and the two boys are not the only ones who would be affected by this. Syaoran's life and destiny will also be changed forever after her story.  
  
A hand slammed loudly against the fine wood, jolting them all, except for Heero, back to attention. "We're waiting, onna." The braided teenager snarled in frustration at Ieran's stalling. "We don't have the whole fucking day."  
  
"Shut up!" Syaoran yelled angrily at him. "Don't talk to my mother like that!"  
  
Duo's eyes narrowed at the younger boy. "What did you just say to me?" he demanded in a deadly calm voice, his fingers inches away from the Browning Hi-power sitting on the table. Syaoran raised his sword at the threat, his own eyes blazing angrily.  
  
"Urusai, Duo."   
  
The violet-eyed pilot turned his attention to the one who spoke. "Demo--"  
  
"Urusai." Heero's voice was firm. Turning to Ieran, who was watching the exchange impassively, he nodded once to indicate her to start.  
  
She looked down at the table in contemplation for a few moments before opening her mouth to talk. "My name is Li Ieran." she began, softly.   
  
"Great. Tell us something we don't know, will you?" It was Duo once again. His comrade glared darkly at him for his interruption, and he sulkily shut his mouth and listened.  
  
"Almost sixteen years ago, my uncle, Li Kim Pai, caught four of the younger members of the Tze family lurking around the manor were the Li Elders live. Immediately Kim Pai accused the Tzes of snooping, and thus a magical encounter between the five of them started. My uncle, as well as the four Tze members, were all killed. When the Tze Elders found out that four of their member had been killed, they were livid. As a form of retalliation their clan casted a spell on the first male born of our family, the spell of the ultimate dispossession of powers. Incidently, the Tzes are also known as one of the most powerful dynasties in China, alongside us, the Lis. This spell would completely strip the first male heir of any of his magical powers, leaving nothing but a minute amount not enough to pass on to the next generation. They meant this to completely cut our family's lineage."  
  
Ieran paused long enough to observe the reactions of each of her audience. Duo had his chin on his hand, eyes locked on her face, clearly listening intently and weighing the truth of her words carefully. Syaoran's eyes were on the floor, lower lip almost bleeding as he bit hard on it, his knuckles almost white. Heero was drilling twin holes at her head as he stared and listened attentively. She took a deep breath and went on.  
  
"When the Li Elders found out that the Tze Elders had casted a spell on the first male Li, they were frantic. It had been written in the Book of the Fates that the first male born would lead the clan immediately after his training. How would the first-born child lead the clan when he does not have any magical powers within him? How would the family's ancient power be passed on, when the male heir would not have but a minute trace of this magic in his blood? In the Elders' desperation they arranged to consult one of our most powerful ancestors, Clow Reed, to seek his help. And help he did provide. Clow-sama created a riff through the future, and arranged to send the Li heir to the future, to the time after the colony, in order to escape the effects of the Tze's spell. The Tze's magical prowess, though powerful in itself, only worked in the present time and does not extend to the past nor to the future. And the plan worked. As soon as I had given birth to the first male heir, Clow-sama and the rest of the Elders combined all their power to send him safely to the future, thus the spell never took effect."  
  
"But one problem posed itself as soon as the Li heir had been sent to the future. Li Pai Kwa, the most powerful among the Li Elders, realized that sending the heir to the future would mean that his destiny in this time line would be cut off. Clow solved this for us. Using a tremendous amount of ancient magic, our ancestor wrote two destinies for the heir. One destiny would be for this life time, and the other destiny for the future. These destinies--"  
  
"What does all this have to do with me and my partner?" Heero asked suddenly, cutting into Ieran's long narration. "As far as Duo and I know, none of us are connected to this 'heir' you keep on referring. What, then, are we doing here?"  
  
Ieran stilled, clearly unexpecting the Wing pilot's question. A few moments later, she asked the dark-haired boy softly. "Do you remember the name I had called you?"  
  
"Hai. You made the mistake of calling me Li Raiu." Heero deadpanned.  
  
"Can you still recall what happened in that clearing? When you and Maxwell-san were not able to move?"  
  
A curt nod.  
  
"Do you remember the sudden rush of an unknown power course through your body?"  
  
His back stiffened at this question. He could still feel the rhythmic coursing of that strange force in his body. He couldn't deny this. And as if eager to let its presence known to him, the tingling sensation travelled up his spine again, starting from his stomach.   
  
He saw the amber-eyed boy's head snap towards his direction, eyebrows furrowed.  
  
"I remember." he admitted tightly.   
  
"Where are you getting at?" Duo suddenly interrupted their exchange. Both Heero and Ieran turned to him with different expressions on their faces. "What does all of these mean, Ieran-san?"  
  
Syaoran surprised them all by forcefully rising from his seat, almost knocking his chair over in the process. "It means," he began flatly, eyeing each and everyone gathered around him as his fingers gripped the edge of the table tightly. He stiffly jerked his head at Heero's direction. "That he is the heir. He is Li Raiu." With that, he pivoted on his heel and stalked out of the room.  
  
As he nodded curtly at a maid who bowed respecfully as he walked past, Syaoran added to himself. 'And he is my brother.'   
  
~ 0 ~  
  
Everyone in the room grew quiet at the Li heir's--now the youngest Li child's--sudden exit. Ieran slowly exhaled in frustration at her youngest son's reaction. 'I would deal with Syaoran later.' she noted to herself as she turned her full attention back to the two stunned boys. Taking a deep, calming breath, she said to them, "As much as I would like to help you go through these details, I'm afraid that it is all up to you whether or not you would believe me. I know this whole incident sounds too ludicrous to you, but, please, try to keep an open mind. The Elders had requested that I bring Li Raiu to their chambers after dinner tonight. In the meantime, feel free to explore the estate." She rose from her seat and beckoned one of the housekeepers. "Mai Lei will see to your needs. She will show you to your prepared chambers when you are ready." Bowing to her two guests, she made a move to the door.  
  
"Matte." Heero's soft voice made Ieran pause. Turning back, she asked him.  
  
"Nanda?"  
  
"We travelled back in time then, Duo and I."  
  
Ieran nodded slowly. "Yes, you did."  
  
"This isn't AC 195."  
  
"No, you are in 1999 Hongkong."  
  
Heero seemed to be struggling to express something. His deep blue eyes had been nothing but cold and calculated since they first met in the clearing, but now, they looked vulnerable--almost hopeful. "I-in AC 195," he began, his voice faltering just a tiny bit as he shifted slightly in his seat. "I do--I never knew my family." He said this in a rush.  
  
Ieran's face cleared as understanding dawned on her. She smiled gently at her oldest son. "You never knew your family in the future simply because you _didn't_ have a family there." she told him quite simply. "You're real family is HERE, in Hongkong. We are your family."  
  
She could have been imagining it, but Ieran could have sworn that a look of relief crossed those breathtaking blue eyes before they blanked out again.   
  
Sharply, Heero nodded at her. "Arigato."  
  
TBC  
  
Oi, guys Did you see the revision I made? Li Wei pointed out that if I killed Syaoran's father while Ieran was still pregnant with Heero, then how would Syaoran come to be? Again, many many thanks to Li Wei for making me realize my stupid mistake! Keep on reading, guys, ayt?  
  
==Like it? Hate it? Let me know. ^_^ 


	5. Secrets Revealed

Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unfortunately. All rights to these amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha, Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time trying to sue me! Your 'corporate boogeyman' won't be getting anything valuable from me anyway, except for a bunch of lousy grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.  
  
Author's Notes: You love me, you really love me! * cries *   
I nearly fainted when I logged in this morning. 20 reviews! And this story isn't even a week old yet! You guys are GREAT readers!!!  
Oh, and one more thing. I've noticed that Syaoran is a little OOC in this chapter when it comes to defending his mother. In the first movie, he does seem to be a little scared of her. I completely disregarded that idea here in my fic, ok? Syaoran and Ieran have a NORMAL mother-son relationship in this fic as far as I'm concerned. :)  
  
DESTINY by rei-chan  
  
Chapter Four: Secrets Revealed  
  
Syaoran glumly kicked at a pile of leaves in front of him as he rested his chin on his hand, parts of his mother's story still resounding in his head as he moped. He still couldn't believe the sudden turn of events that had happened ever since those two gun-bearing psychos arrived. Was the guy in the tanktop really his brother? He couldn't believe it. Yeah, so maybe they do look alike. 'Ok, we look A LOT alike,' the boy grudgingly admitted to himself as he pulled both his legs towards his chest. 'But instances like that happen, right? I mean, two completely unrelated individuals having the same physical traits? There's got to be a genetical theorem on that somewhere.'  
  
He spent a few moments in silence as he tried to recall the basic lessons that he had had on Genetics to see if there was a scientific proof to his conclusion. Finding none, he racked his brains for a good excuse to convince himself that the two boys were frauds. His eyes brightened as a reason dawned on him. 'Besides, if he really was my brother, mother would have told me about him YEARS ago.'  
  
'Don't you think it's possible that your mother had purposely hidden that information from you?' A niggling voice at the back of his mind suddenly interrupted his thoughts.  
  
The brown-haired boy scrunched up his eyebrows and shook his head frantically. 'No way!' he countered to himself firmly. 'She has no reason to hide anything from me.'  
  
The little voice gleefully responded to his counter-reply. 'If that's the case, then why didn't she mention anything to you about HIM for the last, what, eleven years?'  
  
The boy struggled to find an excuse for his mother's defense. 'This is all a stupid mistake, that's all! The Elders just messed up, probably for the first time in their old, feeble lives!'  
  
'Oh, yeah? You honestly think that the Elders would waste that much power just to make a fool out of you? Really, Syaoran, listen to yourself.'  
  
'Mother WOULD have told me if I had a brother!' He growled with complete conviction as he fought against the voice in his head. 'I'm the future heir to the leadership of our family! She would have told me about him if HE would be the heir to all of this!'  
  
'But she DIDN'T...' The voice mocked him.  
  
'Shut up!'  
  
'If she had managed to hide all of this from you for such a long time, who knows what else she's got under her sleeve?' The voice went on. 'Maybe she's been hiding something about the Card Mistress all along...'  
  
"Leave Sakura out of this!"   
  
"Leave Kinomoto-san out of what, Syaoran?" A female voice suddenly asked curiously from behind him.  
  
The Li heir spun around in his seat to find his cousin Meilin staring at him in amusement. "No-nothing." He sputtered, his face turning an amazing shade of red as he imagined the kind of thoughts going on around Li Meilin's head. 'This is all your stupid, stupid fault.' he snarled internally at the voice, who had retreated to the back of his mind as soon as his loud cousin had spoken.   
  
He could have sworn he heard it laughing snidely at him.  
  
His cousin stared at him strangely for some moments, before shrugging and plopping down on the grass beside him. "Auntie has been looking all over for you," she began breezily, stretching her arms over her head as she calmly surveyed the sprawling garden in front of them.  
  
"Really." His voice was carefully neutral as he picked up a huge dry leaf from the ground and began shredding it into little pieces.  
  
Meilin fixed him with a concerned look. "Something bothering you?" she asked softly, gently placing a hand on his arm.  
  
Syaoran stiffly shook his head no.  
  
"C'mon, you can tell me." His cousin told him encouragingly. When the boy didn't asnwer, she thought for a little while then asked, "Is this about those two guys who came in earlier?"  
  
Syaoran stared back at her in disbelief. Shaking his head, he managed a soft laugh before mumbling. "I really can't get anything pass you, can I?" he said in amusement. While his cousin and ex-fiancee nodded her head enthusiastically, the two buns on her hair almost bouncing, the amber-eyed boy sighed. "Yeah." he finally admitted. One of his hands reached down and began uprooting grass stems absently off the ground.  
  
"What about them?" His long-haired cousin wanted to know.  
  
The corner of Syaoran's mouth pulled back into a sad smile as he realized that his poor cousin had absolutely no idea that their clan's destiny has suddenly been changed forever at the arrival of the two trigger-happy idiots. "Mother told me something about one of them." he began after a moment's pause.  
  
Meilin made a small gesture with her hand for him to continue.  
  
"According to mother, one of them--particularly the expressionless one in the green tanktop--is--" he paused as he found himself having a tough time trying to make his throat work. "my br--my bro--ther." he finished lamely, his slender shoulders sagging as he lowered his head.   
  
'You can't deny the truth, Li Syaoran.' The voice was back. 'HE had the power of Thunder, and it was written in the Book of Fates itself that the power of Thunder will appear in time.'  
  
'No.'  
  
'You FELT his distinct aura yourself, silly boy! His green aura, so like yours...and your father's...'  
  
'He's not...'  
  
'He is.' The voice suddenly dropped to a soft whisper, sounding suspiciously like Li Pai Kwa, the oldest and wisest of the Li clan Elders.  
  
Syaoran was too busy with his internal debate that it took him a few seconds to realize that Meilin had not reacted at all to his news.   
  
"Don't you think the whole idea sounds too incredible to be true, Meilin?" He couldn't help but ask his cousin in disbelief as he took in Meilin's calm, open face. "I mean, there were times I had wished I had an older brother to handle all the pressure concerning the clan and all, but I never expected that wish to come true." He laughed nervously. His cousin's non-reaction brought a sudden coil of unease in his stomach that had absolutely nothing to do with his magic.   
  
The dark-haired girl merely blinked at him in response.  
  
Realization struck Li Syaoran. "Oh, God!" he moaned, grabbing his head in his hands as he stared in complete disbelief at his cousin. "You knew!"  
  
Meilin shrugged as she brushed lint off her yellow blouse. "All along, Syaoran." She paled as she found herself on the receiving end of her cousin's voltage-charged glare. "The Elders warned the clan not to tell you! They didn't want you to know 'til Raiu-san arrives..."  
  
"WHY?!"  
  
Meilin bit her lip. "Because they were not sure if Raiu-san WILL arrive." She finally replied, absently fiddling with her left sleeve as she carefully avoided Syaoran's furious eyes. "The Elders were afraid that Raiu-san would be killed in the future, that's why they agreed not to let you know that you had a brother. Would you have worked hard in your training if you knew that you had an older brother who would lead the clan in the future? They wanted to be sure that you would be capable of leading the clan IN CASE Raiu-san dies." Tentatively, she placed a reassuring hand on her cousin's shoulder. "It was for your own, as well as the whole clan's good, Syaoran. Don't take it personally."  
  
Her cousin just shrugged.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
"This will be your prepared chamber during your stay. If any of you are in need of assistance, just ring the bell found on top of the bedside tables and a servant will attend to your needs." Mai Lei, the servant who had been given the task of attending to the two pilots, said. Bowing low in respect, particularly to Heero, she quietly left and closed the door.  
  
Duo was eyeing the room with appreciation. High ceilings, their very own den complete with cable television and stereo system, a plush bathroom on the far left, and two doors leading to each boy's respective sleeping quarters to the right. "Man, Yuy!" he exclaimed, unable to keep the awe in his voice as he surveyed the tray filled with various fruits in season sitting on the coffee table. "What service!" The Deathscythe pilot was on the verge of plucking a grape out of the bunch when his probing fingers suddenly stilled. "Wait a minute--" he told himself softly as his amethyst eyes once again circled their room. Food carefully laid out, fresh sheets on the beds, and two towels hanging neatly on the bathroom rack. He jerked his head suddenly to turn to his partner, who had been standing motionlessly by the door the whole time. "Heero, everthing has been set and prepared. It's as if--"  
  
"They've been expecting us." Heero flatly cut him off. With machine-like precision, the Perfect Soldier strode towards the sofa and stiffly sat down. "I've noticed."  
  
Eyebrows furrowed together in concentration, Duo slowly made his way towards the couch and plopped down next to his comrade, a frown marring his usually cheerful facade. None of them spoke for a couple of minutes as each entertained their own thoughts. Finally, Duo cleared his throat. "What do you think we should do then?" he directly asked his partner as one of his slender hands toyed absently with his braid.  
  
Heero shrugged at him in response.   
  
Duo, expecting the dark-haired boy's non-answer, went on talking. "I mean, so far they've been very accommodating. And hospitable, I might add."  
  
"Hai. I've been having the same thought."  
  
The Deathscythe pilot cocked his head at his partner as a thoughtful look crossed his elfin face. "What do you suggest we do, then?" Laughing slightly, he gestured at the grandeur that surrounded them as Heero turned blank blue eyes at him. "I mean, this is kinda like a vacation in a grand hotel, Yuy. If it only weren't for that magical crap..." he trailed off.  
  
The Wing pilot gave him a determined glare. "We should stay." he told his comrade firmly. "I would like to observe if what they have been saying is true."  
  
His violet-eyed companion turned shocked eyes at his statement. "Don't tell me you actually believed in all that magical bull, Heero!" he breathed out in amazement, eyes wide.  
  
Heero once again shrugged carelessly at him, before standing up and heading to his sleeping quarters, quietly shutting the door behind him.  
  
Leaving the American to gobble up the food laid on the table, Heero immediately crumpled to a heap beside his bed, his own eyes blank. His knees had been shaking the entire walk to their room, and only his intense training enabled him to stand properly and walk. He had his reasons why he agreed to stay in the Li mansion for the meantime. Personal ones, at that. It might have anything or nothing at all to do with that magic the woman was talking about, but whatever it might be, Heero was convinced that they had to stay. After all, they haven't really got a choice, since Heero himself had confirmed the fact that he and Duo had indeed travelled through time.  
  
Also, the Perfect Soldier wanted to find out whether Ieran had been telling the truth regarding his family.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
For probably the first time in Li Ieran's life, dinner that night was silent. Syaoran was obviously in a foul mood, judging from the way her son systematically mashed his peas with a spoon as he glared across the table where Heero sat, eating quietly. Even Feimei and the rest of the girls were silent, only throwing unreadable glances at each other every time their younger brother manages to completely mash a pea. Duo was sneaking wary glances at Ieran.  
  
Finally, the braided boy hesitantly spoke up. "Ano, Ieran-san?" he asked the elder woman softly, "Mind if I ask you a question?"  
  
"Go ahead, Maxwell-san." The woman replied graciously.   
  
The boy licked his lips. "How did Heero and I end up here, in the past?"   
  
Ieran frowned in contemplation. "You mean, how did you and Raiu--Heero--travelled back in time?"   
  
"Hai." Duo smiled almost maliciously at the woman. "I mean, one minute I was cussing at Yuy'a incredible stupidity, and the next thing I remember, I was lying spread-eagled on the ground with a flower stem stuck up my snoot."  
  
Ieran meditated on the answer for a couple of minutes as she absently toyed with her chopsticks. Syaoran's spoon clattered on his plate as one of the peas managed to escape his mashing. Finally, she sighed. "In all honesty, Maxwell-san--"  
  
"Duo. Just call me Duo."  
  
The woman smiled at him. "In all honesty, Duo-san," she repeated, gracefully clasping her hands in front of her as she leaned both elbows on the table. "I really am not sure. What I do know is that Clow-sama had created a special plane of time in the future that would trigger the time portal to open. As to what that special plane is, I have no idea."  
  
Duo's brown wrinkled. "I see." he surmised, clearly not satisfied with the woman's answer.  
  
She seemed to read his mind. "Raiu--Heero would meet the Elders in a while, anyway, Duo-san. I'm sure they will tell him." she assured the braided boy.  
  
Duo just nodded at her before going back to his meal. Again, silence reigned over them, save only for the sounds of silverware against porcelain and soft munching.  
  
After they have been served dessert, Ieran simply stated. "The Elders will see Li Raiu now."  
  
TBC  
  
==Gomen if you had to wait for this! I got hard-pressed!  
  
Like it? Hate it? Tell me! I'll be forced to discontinue this fic if I don't get at least, like, ten more reviews! 


	6. The Elders

Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't,   
unfortunately. All rights to this amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha,   
Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time   
trying to sue me! Your 'corporate boogeyman' won't get anything valuable from   
me, anyway, except for a bunch of lousy grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a   
Pentel point 5 ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.  
  
Author's Notes: I thought you guys were never going to review! 'Really   
appreciate the support, minna! I'm still unsure whether or not I should really   
go on with this story, but keep those fantastic reviews coming and I'll probably   
continue writing as well!  
  
Oh, yeah. For those of you who have been requesting that I include Sakura-chan   
and Co., in the story, I will. They'll probably appear in Chapter 7 or 8, I'm   
still not sure which chapter but they WILL. So just hang on to your seats. ^_^  
  
Oh, and another one! You better check out the revisions I made on Chapter Three!   
Li Wei, thank you very much for making me realize that mistake!!! ^_^  
  
DESTINY by rei-chan  
  
Chapter Five: The Elders  
  
Heero swallowed the huge lump that had formed in his throat as he and Duo were   
led to the Elder's chambers with the 'kid' in tow. For the first time in his   
life, he was nervous. During dinner he was on the verge of asking Ieran about   
the Elders, but found that the idea of letting everyone in the room know that he   
was scared of facing a few doddering old men was completely stupid. The Perfect   
Soldier feared NO ONE, and, as he had proven to his enemies time and time again,   
he would win.  
  
Ieran made a sharp turn at the end of the hallway, and Heero found himself   
almost nose to nose with Duo, who had suddenly halted and turned to face him,   
eyebrows furrowed.  
  
"What?" he managed to snap at the Deathscythe pilot amidst the pounding of his   
heart as he threw his comrade a baleful glare.  
  
Duo was unfazed. "Tell me whatever it is that you and the Elders would talk   
about." he told the Wing pilot, his face carefully neutral as he jerked his head   
towards Ieran. "Ieran-san just informed me that this is about as far as I can   
go." His violet gaze almost penetrated Heero's head as he scrutinized his   
partner's stoic facade, before firmly saying. "I mean it, Yuy. Everything."  
  
The Wing pilot found himself nodding. "Hai." he agreed.  
  
Duo nodded back at him, before standing back to let him and the'kid' pass.   
  
Ieran was standing beside a huge ornate door, patiently waiting for them. As   
Heero examined the door, his eyes suddenly widened as sharp pain radiated from   
his middle, almost knocking him off his feet as he sucked in a deep breath. The   
pain was far worse than anything he had ever experienced so far, not even when   
he set his own broken leg, and he couldn't choke back the gasp that escaped his   
lips as he bent forward.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the 'kid' watching him with an   
unreadable expression on his face.  
  
Heero then felt a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he looked up, trying with   
all his might not to show the pain in his eyes as Ieran's warm, open face gazed   
down on him. "Just relax, Raiu. You will eventually get used to the pain, once   
you've started your training."  
  
He didn't react. Instead, he struggled to straighten up, shrugging the woman's   
hand off his shoulder. He could feel a very strong power vibrating in the air,   
tingling his senses and awakening his own.   
  
Ieran moved towards the door and mumbled softly. "We have arrived."  
  
The huge doors creaked, then slowly opened, revealing a dark passageway.   
Goosebumps prickled Heero's skin as he boldly stepped forward, his face blank.   
Without a backward glance, he walked in and disappeared inside.  
  
Heero found himself surrounded by a thick mist, and the strong smell of incense   
tickled his nose as he strode profusely towards the dais. His heart was pounding   
three times faster than normal, and he was feeling a little lightheaded. His   
stomach still hurt a little, and the strong power inside him made his whole body   
glow slightly green in the chamber's darkness as he made his way towards the   
long table where a few hazy figures stood.  
  
"Li Raiu." A feeble voice acknowledged once the Perfect Soldier was within   
earshot. "I see that the long wait is finally over."  
  
The hairs at the back of the Wing pilot's neck stood as he heard the voice.   
Magic was radiating in waves from the table where the Elders were that it was   
almost tangible. Heero slowly approached the table and stood there, swaying   
slightly on his feet as he carefully schooled his features into a blank mask.  
  
Another voice spoke up, and Heero flinched slightly at the sultry, commanding   
tone that the speaker used. "I trust that Ieran already gave you succint   
explanation as to how you got here?" The phrase in itself was a question, but to   
the Prussian eyed teenager, it was a thinly veiled order for him to answer.   
  
Reluctantly, he did. "Hai." 'But not enough to answer all my questions, though.   
I still don't believe her.'  
  
"Do you have any questions?" The speaker's tone was amused, and it took the Wing   
pilot a few seconds to realize that he had probably read the doubts in his mind.   
"Now is the time to seek answers, Raiu."  
  
The logical part of Heero's mind screamed at him to keep his mouth shut and   
quickly find a way out of this mess, but a part of him didn't want to. Ieran's   
story was a grand one, he couldn't deny that, but the mysterious pull of the   
power within him was also something that he cannot ignore. Blocking out his   
logic, the Wing pilot asked tightly. "How did Duo and I travel through time?"  
  
One of the figures detached itself from the dais and slowly glided towards him,   
the mist in the room unabling the dark-haired boy to see its face. "Clow-sama   
had created a specific plane of time in the future." it spoke softly as it   
continued moving towards the boy, stopping directly in front of Heero. "This   
plane would involve a confrontation, and a desperate move on your part would   
trigger the time portal to open and thus transport you back through time."  
  
'The Oz battalion.' Heero thought, biting back the urge to curse as he realized   
that the self-destruct button was probably the 'desperate act' that triggered   
the portal to open. Instead he turned to the pressing matters at hand and asked   
what had been bothering him ever since Ieran had narrated to them the clan's   
story. "Why was my partner included in the time jump, then, if the portal was   
supposedly only meant for me?" His voice was flat.  
  
He could hear the figure clear its throat feebly. "That was a mistake in the   
Elders' part, I'm afraid. Sometimes even we underestimate the extent of our   
powers. We had not realized that the radius of the portal extended to over   
thirty miles, more than enough to accommodate you and your machine."  
  
The Wing pilot suddenly felt a distinct sinking sensation in his stomach that   
had absolutely nothing to do with his power. Ignoring the sudden pang, he let   
out a short "Aa."  
  
"Anymore?"  
  
"Oka--" he abruptly closed his mouth, cleared his throat, and tried again.   
"Ieran said something about me having two destinies." He said in a somewhat   
strangled voice. He had been about to refer to Ieran as his 'okasan', had he not   
been able to control himself.  
  
"Ah, yes." A new voice suddenly took over the talking. "Your destinies. I trust   
that you would like to know what they are?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
The speaker tutted. "I had been right, then, when I told Ieran sixteen years ago   
that her first male son would be the most systematic amongst the clan." There   
was the slightest hint of pride in its voice as most of the hazy figures agreed   
to his observations. Going back to the boy's question, he stated, "About your   
destinies, then, Raiu. The destiny that Clow-sama had written for you in the   
future was a rather difficult one. You were to become a soldier, a prominent yet   
anonymous warrior for peace. You were to challenge some of the greatest tyrants   
in the future and succeed in bringing peace to the warring world and the   
colonies."  
  
The dark-haired pilot had to smile at the Elder's words, his heart light. 'So we   
WILL win the war, after all." he mused to himself, thoughts of his comrades   
flashing briefly in his mind. Clearing his own throat, he spoke. "What about in   
this time line, then?"  
  
"The rudimentary destiny that you left here prior to the time jump was supposed   
to be the hardest. According to the Book of Fates, the first male child--you--is   
destined to end the long lineage of the antagonistic Tzes. You are to fight   
against two members of the Tze clan alongside your father and bring honor to   
your family." A brief, sad sigh. "But since Yui Ran had been killed days before   
Syaoran was born, I'm afraid that you will be fighting alongside your brother   
instead."  
  
At the stony look on the Wing pilot's face, the speaker let out an amused laugh.   
"I see that you and the little wolf had not yet learned to get along." He   
observed softly. From the sound of his voice, Heero could tell that he was   
smiling.  
  
The figure looming in front of the dark-haired soldier leaned forward and   
pressed something in Heero's hands. "Inform your brother that we will see him on   
your way out." he whispered.  
  
The Wing pilot nodded wordlessly and left, clutching a black tassel in his   
hands.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
'What is taking them so long?' Duo thought to himself in irritation as his eyes   
travelled from the face of an old clock standing a few feet away from him to the   
door where he saw his partner disappear into almost thirty minutes for the   
hundreth time that minute. 'What is going on?'  
  
The sound of a throat being cleared jerked the pilot's head back up. Heero's   
miniature look alike stood in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest,   
glaring at the long-haired boy like there was no tomorrow. "What?"   
  
The kid's glare hardened, if that was still possible. "You fidget too much." he   
snarled as Duo looked at him blankly.  
  
"So?"  
  
"You are distracting me."  
  
Shrug. "I'm scared for my friend, that's why I fidget." he snapped, sticking   
both hands into his pockets as his eyes moved to watch the door, temper getting   
the better out of him.  
  
Syaoran snorted. "They are OLD people," he said in a voice normally used when   
explaining something to a savvant. "There's nothing to be scared of."  
  
Just then, the huge doors flew open and Heero stepped out calmly, clutching   
something tightly in his hands as his Prussian blue eyes swept across the room   
in search of someone. His eyes rested on the amber-eyed boy, who was staring at   
the thing clutched in Heero's hands. "They want to see you." he deadpanned.  
  
Duo turned just in time to see that all color had drained from the kid's face as   
he headed almost hesitantly towards the doors. 'Nothing to be scared of, huh?'  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
Syaoran's whole body was trembling as he apprroached the dais where he knew the   
Elders were. Indeed, he had been summoned before by the oldest and wisest   
members of the family, but usually these meetings with the Elders were filled   
with lectures and reprimands regarding his training. Never had he been summoned   
like this.  
  
As the mist cleared slightly to reveal the figures of the Li Elders, Syaoran   
fumbled around his neck for the chain of his tassel and hurriedly slipped it off   
his neck, swinging it sideways to reveal his long sword. Reaching the long   
table, he got down on one knee and bowed his head, his sword placed neatly on   
the floor in front of him, blade pointed at his direction. It was a sign of   
respect that he had known ever since he learned how to use his sword. "I come at   
your bid." he whispered softly, his heart thudding.  
  
"Xiao Lang." A voice called him softly. Syaoran recognized it as Li Pai Kwa, the   
oldest among the Elders. He was the only one among the Elders who called him   
that. "We see each other again."  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Your brother is a soldier in the future, did you know?"  
  
The ex-Card Captor kept his head bowed. "No." he softly replied.  
  
"What do you know about him, then?"  
  
"Thunder. I felt the power of Thunder in him. Just like father..."  
  
"A weaker version of Yui Ran's power, I presume." Li Pai Kwa noted. "Have you   
seen the strain in Raiu's aura? The weakness in it?"  
  
"Yes, I have."  
  
"Then I leave you with this request." Syaoran felt a force on his chin and he   
looked up to find his ancestor looking down at him. Li Pai Kwa's soft, wrinkled   
hand brushed his cheek and whispered. "Assist your brother in any way you can,   
Syaoran."  
  
TBC  
  
==Sorry it took me a long time to upload this chapter. I ran across a   
particularly delish 1x2 fic, and I couldn't stop reading it. Chapter Six will be   
uploaded sometime within the next two days.  
  
==Like it? Hate it? Let me know!!! 


	7. The Adventure Begins

Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unfortunately. All rights to these amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha, Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time trying to sue me. Your 'corporate boogeyman' won't get anything valuable from me anyway, except for a handful of lousy grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.  
  
Author's Notes: I had to almost kick my sister away from the PC in order to upload this,*giggles*  
  
Oh, and Li Wei, if you're reading this, let me know right away if I make any more mistakes. I really appreciate your help.  
  
Guys, some spoilers ahead! I forgot to tell you earlier that the VOID CARD thingie did not happen at all, 'kay? I'm going to use this story for both Sakura-chan's and Duo's confessions of lurve...(Ooops! Heheheh did I just say that???!?!?!)  
  
DESTINY by rei-chan  
  
Chapter Six: The Adventure Begins  
  
Heero woke to the sound of clinking metal and yelling coming from outside. Noiselessly he grabbed the gun that he had hidden under his pillow and stealthily made his way towards the window. Being careful not to be seen, he cautiously peeked one eye out to see what was going on outside.  
  
The 'kid' and his butler were both out in the yard and was in the middle of what Heero recognized to be a katana drill. He had seen his comrade Chang Wufei perform this same exercise almost every morning, and was aware that the exercise was very complicated and required a huge amount of skill and grace. Though skilled in weaponry himself, the Perfect Soldier had long since resigned himself to the fact that swordmanship was well beyond his limitations. It was a wonder to Heero to actually see a boy not taller than five feet performing the katana series effortlessly, while his butler and instructor called out commands to him.  
  
As he stood there watching the scene being played below him, a soft noise from his door caught his attention. In a blink of an eye the Wing pilot had spun around and was pointing his gun at the intruder, which turned out to be Duo Maxwell.  
  
Completely ignoring the pistol aimed directly at his head, Duo mumbled a "'Mornin." and languidly stretched his hands over his head, revealing a strip of creamy skin under his white sleeping tee. Heero snorted at his partner as the braided pilot padded towards where the other stood, immediately peering out of the window. When he saw Syaoran in the middle of his training, the violet-eyed boy let out an excited squeal. "Oi, Hee-chan! He's really good! Betcha twenty bucks you can't top that!!!"  
  
"Baka."  
  
"C'mon, man! I mean, just look at him move! I don't think even Wufei could do that cool spiral thing he just did."  
  
"Wufei is a Gundam pilot, Duo. Not a freaking magician."   
  
"Well, yeah, maybe you've got a point there. But it's also possible that Wuffie's just plain stup--oh, hey! Wow! That was soooooo cool! Where'd he get the fire from?"  
  
As the two boys continued watching Syaoran train, with Duo's commentary getting louder each second (Man, that was brilli---what the fuck!--where the hell did all THAT came from?), the Wing pilot couldn't help but feel a little proud as he listened to Duo's impressed coos concerning his little brother's ability. He had to admit, the kid 'was' pretty good, magic or no magic. The steps that he executed were fluid, his moves and slashes flawless and graceful as he attacked. Heero even secretly agreed with his partner on Duo's opinion about the katana skills of their Chinese co-pilot. He hoped to god Wufei would never hear about it.  
  
While watching Syaoran train, Heero still could not help but feel that Ieran and the Elders had made a terrible mistake of assuming that he was the heir to the clan. His magic only manifests itself when provoked. Without the other clan member's magic to nudge his awake, his powers were useless. Maybe he and Duo were just at the wrong place and time...  
  
"...calculated last night." His partner was saying. Heero immediately jerked himself out of his thoughts and turned his full attention to the other boy, who was still watching Syaoran below.  
  
"Nani?" he asked, slightly ashamed that he had not been paying any attention to his comrade.   
  
Duo turned a pair of slightly annoyed eyes at him. "I said," he began, stressing each word as the shouts and pants coming from outside began to get louder, "that I calculated last night." he repeated, raising his voice ever so slightly as another yell echoed from where Syaoran was still in the middle of his training.  
  
"What about?" The Perfect Soldier asked.  
  
His long-haired partner sighed a little as he ran a slender hand over his face. "We weren't alone in the time jump, Heero." he said seriously. Heero could feel his stomach sinking as he understood what Duo was trying to tell him. "Yuy, the--"  
  
"The battalion was included." the dark-haired boy finished hoarsely. Shaking his head, he turned and leaned out the window, his mind a jumble of numbers and equations as he calculated the figures available. "I should have figured that out sooner. The Elders told me last night that the radius of the portal extended to over thirty miles." He paused for a few moments.   
  
Duo heaved a deep sigh. "Meaning," he stated flatly, "that the entire eighty-battalion troop is out loose here in Hongkong, wreaking havoc on God knows where." Duo blew at his bangs in frustration. "And our Gundams are nowhere to be found." he added glumly.  
  
"Aa."  
  
Now this just added to his problems. It was bad enough that he had a thriving clan to lead. Now those Oz bastards had to add to his task. The Wing pilot was so lost in his thoughts that he completely missed Duo's frantic "Duck!"  
  
A second later, Heero Yuy ws slumped down on the floor, unconscious.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
"Ano, Raiu," Ieran's voice was hesitant as she stared at the huge bump on Heero's forehead during breakfast that same morning. "What happened to your head?"  
  
Duo began sniggering uncontrollably and Heero glared darkly at him. "The little sword-wielding kid hit him with a piece of wood while we were watching him train earlier." he choked out, his face turning a light shade of red from suppressed laughter.  
  
Feimei and the rest of the girls burst into giggles at this announcement. Even Ieran had to bite back a smile of her own. The only ones not amused were Heero and Syaoran.  
  
"I lost control of my Wind ofuda, Mother. It was an accident." The amber-eyed boy defended himself amidst the hearty laughter around the table. "I was distracted..."  
  
"Oooohhh! The Wittwe Wolf was distwactedddd!" Li Fuutie suddenly sing-songed. "I wonder what distwacted him to lose control of his magwic!!!"  
  
"It's probably--" Feimei said, throwing meaningful winks at her sisters.   
  
"KINOMOTO-CHAN!" They all chorused.   
  
Duo looked around the table in confusion. "What?" he asked.  
  
Ieran just shook her head at him.  
  
"Kinomoto-chan, Kinomoto-chan, Kinomoto-chan!" The girls were chanting. Feimei had jumped up from her seat and was making kissy faces at her brother, who shrank away from her in disgust as Fanren grabbed both his arms and Futie began tickling him, all the while chanting.  
  
"Kinomoto-chan, Kinomoto-chan, Kinomoto-chan!"  
  
"Stop it!"  
  
"Kinomoto-chan, Kinomoto-chan, Kinomoto-chan!"  
  
"Mother, make them stop!"  
  
"Kinomoto-chan, Kinomoto-chan, Kinomoto-chan!"  
  
Syaoran managed to extricate one of his limbs from Fanren's grip and he pulled out his tassel, swinging it sideways and turning it to his sword. Duo and Heero watched with interest as the younger boy struggled to free his other arm while yelling colorful Chinese curses at his sisters. Breaking free, he produced one of his ofudas and yelled.  
  
"Raite sho--"  
  
"Really now, Syaoran! There is no need to electrocute your sisters! Girls, leave your brother alone."  
  
All four reluctantly stopped tormenting their little brother and returned to their places. Fanren stuck her tongue out at the glaring Syaoran.  
  
After some semblance of order had been attained, Ieran clasped her hands primly in front of her   
and focused all her attention to her still-fuming youngest son. "Syaoran?" she addressed him gently.  
  
"Nani?" the boy snarled, glaring at Shiefa as she mouthed 'Kinomoto-chan' at him.  
  
Ieran threw her daughter a look, and she stopped. Turning back to Syaoran, she said. "Regarding the Card Mistress--"  
  
"Argh!" Syaoran slammed his sword on the table, making everyone, even Heero, jump in surprise. "Not you, too!"  
  
Ieran held up a hand. "The Elders think that it is best if Raiu trains with the help of the Clow Cards. And since Kinomoto-chan has them," she paused as her son positively glowered as the girls started giggling once more. "We have decided to send you, Raiu, Wei, and Duo-san, if he will agree, to Japan in order to seek the collaboration of the Card Mistress."  
  
Silence met Ieran's announcement, save for the soft sounds of giggling as Shiefa's head emerged from under the table with her hair pulled back into two small pigtails.  
  
"Nipon." Heero said slowly, his eyes fixed on Ieran's face as his fork hovered over his plate of eggs.  
  
She nodded firmly at him.  
  
Duo then bounced excitedly on his seat. "Oh, can we go, can we go, can we go, can we go, Hee-chan, huh, can we can we can we?" he pleaded, violet eyes wide as he turned to his stoic partner. "I haven't been to Japan since AC 195, and that was for a mission..."  
  
Heero clamped a hand over the Deathscythe pilot's mouth. immediately putting a stop to the upcoming ecstatic babble he knew was coming. "We will if HE does." he told his partner flatly, motioning with his head towards Syaoran, who was still glaring at their giggling sisters.  
  
Ieran--and Duo--turned expectant eyes at the younger boy. "Well?" Ieran prompted, her dark brows raised.  
  
Syaoran took one look at Shiefa's hair and snarled. "When do we leave?"  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
Syaoran growled almost rabidly to himself as he slashed another deep cut on the tree trunk in front of him. Pulling his sword back, he let himself imagine that the trunk had the ugly faces of all his four sisters combined. Angrily he slashed through the tree again, damaging it so deeply that sap started seeping out of the cut. He grinned. That felt good. He slashed through it again. And again. And again.  
  
He had just raised his sword to deliver another slash when a cheerful male voice boomed directly on his ear. "Man, you really did a number on that poor tree."  
  
"ARGH!!!" Syaoran shrieked, jumping back to face his attacker, sword up and ready.  
  
Duo Maxwell smiled sunnily at him. "Hiya!" At Syaoran's defensive pose, the braided boy chuckled and raised his hands in mock surrender. "You can put the freaking sword down, kid. I ain't gonna hurt you." he assured the younger boy.  
  
The amber-eyed lad slowly lowered his weapon and glared at the pilot. Plopping down on the soft grass, Syaoran let out a "Hn."  
  
Duo laughed softly at this. "Man, you and Heero really are a lot alike." he told the other boy cheerfully, squatting to sit in front the younger Li. "Looks, expressions...hell, even your grunts sound the same!" he crowed.  
  
"Aa."  
  
The long-haired boy then started laughing hysterically. "See, see?" he squealed, grabbing his shins and leaning forward as he doubled over in laughter.  
  
Even Syaoran had to smile at that. He HAD noticed that too.  
  
After Duo's laughter had died down, Syaoran picked up his sword and nonchalantly swung it sideways, returning it to its tassel form as Duo watched on in interest. He slipped the thin chain around his neck and gazed expectantly at his visitor.  
  
The Deathscythe pilot gave him another smile. "I guess Ieran-san really wasn't shitting around with that magical hoopla." he began casually.  
  
Syaoran shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah. Runs in the family." he replied.  
  
"Really? Then my pal Heero must also have his fair share of the abracadabra."  
  
The younger boy snorted. "Are you kidding? The Elders were almost skipping with joy when you guys turned up in our backyard."  
  
Duo gaped at him in disbelief, the picture of the huge clearing and the farms surrounding it still vivid in his mind. "THAT huge, freaking FARMLAND the size of Texas was your BACKYARD?" he almost shrieked.  
  
Syaoran nodded.  
  
The older boy let out a low whistle. "Man. You guys are probably richer than Quatre, then." he mumbled to himself.  
  
"Eh? What's a Quatre?"  
  
Duo shook his head. "No, no, not what! Who! Quatre is," he waved his hand dismissively in the air, "a comrade back in AC 195. He fights alongside your--uh, brother and I in the war. Up to now I thought he was the goddamn richest guy in the planet. Seems I was wrong, though." Duo silently congratulated himself on his self-control. He only faltered a little bit when he referred to Heero as the kid's brother.  
  
There was silence between the two boys as both thought of something to say to each other. Clearing his throat, Syaoran started. "Maxwell-san?"  
  
"Just call me Duo, Li-kun. Plain old Duo. Don't bother with honorifics 'cuz once you find out what I do for a living, you'd wish we'd never met. And while we're at it, can I just call you Syaoran?" The other boy nodded. "Good. Can't risk running around your house calling you 'Li' when half the peole there answer to that name. What was that you wanted to ask me?" He said all this in a rush.  
  
"So, DUO," Syaoran began, stressing Duo's name without the honorific and smiling as Duo nodded in mock appreciation. "Uhm, has your friend always been like that?" he inquired.  
  
"Who? Heero?" At Syaoran's confirming nod, the Deathscythe pilot's brow furrowed. "Like what?" he wanted to know.  
  
"Oh, you know," the younger Li hedged as he fidgeted nervously in his seated state. "Cold, expressionless, kind of always mean to everyone?"  
  
Duo shook his head slightly and smiled at the boy's discomfort. "Well, yeah. Always have, always will, I guess." he said laughingly.  
  
"Can you tell me why?"  
  
"Hmm." The braided boy murmured. Frowning, he turned to Syaoran, his expression suddenly serious. "I'm not really sure if I should be the one to tell you that, Syaoran. But let's just put it this way, okay?" he cleared his throat and scooted forward. "Heero's had a shitty upbringing as far as human relations go. There were certain things that were done to him--hell, to US, for that matter--that made him what he is now. His being an outright bastard is just the way he deals with the stress, I guess."  
  
"Stress from what? The war?" The amber-eyed boy held up a hand to stop whatever was going to come out of Duo's mouth as the latter's head snapped back to stare at him. "The Elders told me that you guys were--are-- soldiers in the future." he informed the braided pilot.  
  
"Oh." Was Duo's only reaction.  
  
"What's being a soldier like? You don't have to answer me if you don't want to." Syaoran added hastily upon seeing the dark expression that suddenly crossed the Deathscythe pilot's face as he he heard the question.  
  
The pilot held up a hand in assurance. "No, no. It's okay." His brow furrowed once again, and for the first time, Syaoran saw the stress lines on his braided visitor's face as Duo's lips pulled down into a frown. "Bad." he said after a few seconds of thought. "Real bad. Almost like hell, I guess." Duo snorted as his normally expressive eyes went blank, envisioning the horrors that only he could see as he struggled to find the proper words to describe his experiences. "I really don't want to have anything to do with killing anymore, but I, Heero, and the other pilots really don't have much choice in the matter. I-It's sickening, you know that? All those lives I've ended...all those people I've hurt just because I HAD to kill..." He shook his head.  
  
Syaoran clamped a firm hand on the older boy's shoulder in an effort to comfort him. "I'm sorry to hear that, Duo. I really am." he told the other boy softly.  
  
Duo gave him a thin smile. "Hey, s'okay, dude." he said lightly. "I mean, Heero, Q-man, Tro, Wu, and I had gone through hell and back unscathed. We'll live." He let out a short bark of sarcastic laughter. "Somehow."  
  
In the hopes to lighten the dark mood that had descended upon them, Syaoran leapt suddenly to his feet and started brushing dirt off his pants. "You know what, Duo?" he said between brushing, "I never got around to finishing my breakfast, no thanks to my good-for-nothing sisters. What do you say you come with me to a nearby noodle house." he offered, staring directly at his companion's face as he waited for his answer.  
  
"Sure, as long as it's your treat." Duo smiled brightly, his jester mask firmly back in place as he followed the boy's lead and started brushing leaves off his own jeans. "After all," he added, a hint of mischief in his amethystine eyes as turned to follow Syaoran. "You wouldn't want KINOMOTO-CHAN to find out how stingy you are."  
  
"DUO!"  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
"Raiu?"  
  
Heero looked up from his paper when he heard Ieran call his name. "Aa?" he asked.  
  
"Wei-san managed to procure tickets for the four of you. You will leave tomorrow."  
  
"Aa."  
  
She stared curiously at his paper. "What are you doing?"  
  
He reluctantly held the paper up, covered with calculations. "Working on a plan to decimate the mobile troops that had been sucked into the time portal with us." he replied flatly.   
  
Ieran sank into the couch in front of him. "Mobile troops?" she asked, confusion gracing her slight features as Heero grunted at her.  
  
"Robots. Machines. They are dangerous when left to their own devices. I am currently working on trying to determine their exact location."  
  
"They are probably still lost in time."  
  
Her son's head snapped back up to look at her.  
  
Ieran rubbed her temples warily. "Though they were within the range of the portal when it opened, they were not near enough to the center of the power. Eventually their number will end up in this time, but not for at least a while."  
  
"I guess that buys Duo and I some time to look for our Gundams and formulate a battle plan." Heero murmured, almost to himself as his soldier's instinct started kicking in. Mission parameters, back up plans...  
  
Ieran shook her head at his plan. "There is no need to look for your, uh, mobile suits, Raiu. They have been recovered and magically concealed for you."  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
"Moshi-moshi. Daidouji residence."  
  
Syaoran twirled the telephone chord nervously between his fingers as he asked to speak to Tomoyo. After a few moments, a soft voice picked up from the other end. "Hai. Tomoyo desu. Dare ?"(1)  
  
"It's me."  
  
His introduction was met by a very long pause. Just as he had started to think that Tomoyo had hung up, she spoke, surprise evident in her voice. "Oh."  
  
Syaoran sighed. "Yes. Uhm, listen, Daidouji, due to, uhm, certain circumstances, I and some friends are flying back to Nipon tomorrow morning."   
  
"Ashita? Honto ni?"(2)  
  
"Hai. And before you get too excited and tell everyone, may I please just ask you not to tell a certain brown-haired, green-eyed girl that I'm coming?"   
  
"May I ask why?"  
  
Syaoran blushed deeply before he answered. "Let's just say that I want this to be a surprise." he told her softly.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
Tomoyo picked up the phone on the first ring. Thinking that it was Syaoran, she asked, "Did you forget to tell me something?"  
  
"Nani? What are you talking about, Tomoyo-chan?" Kinomoto Sakura asked from the other end in confusion.   
  
The violet-haired girl flushed. "Oh, nothing." she said softly, her eyes straying towards one of the many photographs lining her bedside table to focus on a picture of an amber-eyed boy and an auburn-haired girl sitting together in the carnival. "I just thought you were the one I was talking to earlier, and was calling back." she told her best friend.  
  
"Really? Who was that?"  
  
Daidouji Tomoyo's dark eyes glinted mischievously as she replied in an angelic tone of voice. "Oh, no one important, Sakura-chan. No one."  
  
TBC  
  
== *yawns*  
  
Like it? Hate it? Let me know!  
  
FOOTNOTES:  
  
1. Translates to: "Yes, This is Tomoyo. Who are you?"  
  
2. Translates to: "Tomorrow? Really?" 


	8. Return to Japan

Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unfortunately. All rights to these amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha, Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time trying to sue me. Your 'corporate boogeyman' won't be getting anything valuable from me anyway, except for a bunch of lousy grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.  
  
Syaoran: Oi!  
  
Rei-chan: *staring off in space with a stupid smile on her face*  
  
Syaoran: OI!!!  
  
Rei-chan: *drool comes out of mouth*  
  
Syaoran: *shakes his head*   
  
Author's Notes: I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *cries*  
Ahem. *clears throat* Sorry about that. I just got carried away with your touching reviews. *sniffles* Anyway, as a thank you, here's the chapter that you've all been begging me for.  
Oh, and before I forget, you guys should check out the minor revisions my sister did in chapter six. ^_^  
  
*dan da dan dan dan*  
  
DESTINY by rei-chan (and my lil sis tsukinoko, who edited some parts of this story. arigato!)  
  
Chapter Seven: Return to Japan  
  
The flight to Japan was uneventful, except for Duo's loud complaints about the competence of the pilot and the sucky in-flight service. It didn't help that Syaoran was almost on the edge of his seat in nervousness, and had almost gutted one of the flight attendants with his sword when the poor woman tapped him on the shoulder to serve his meal.  
  
At long last, all four of them; Heero, Duo, and Syaoran were in the Arrivals section, each carrying their own piece of luggage. Wei had left the three of them minutes ago to hail a cab for them.  
  
At the moment Duo was nagging at his stoic partner about his poor taste in clothes.  
  
"..I mean, c'mon, man! Spandex? And that tank top! Don't you have any other clothes with you? I swear, one of these days I am gonna sneak into your closet and change all of your goddamn tank tops to mesh shirts."  
  
"Urusai."  
  
Syaoran shook his head as he turned his attention away from the two boys. Craning his neck, he started searching for any signs of Wei when he heard a melodic voice call out his name.  
  
"Li-kun!"  
  
Surprised, he turned to look for his caller. A girl with long, violet-black hair was smiling and waving cheerfully at him a few feet away. Waving back, he called out.  
  
"Daidouji!"  
  
Daidouji Tomoyo's eyes were twinkling brightly as Syaoran almost ran towards her with Heero and Duo in tow. "Hisashiburi ne, Li-kun."(1) She softly greeted as the trio approached her.  
  
Syaoran shook his head as he tried to hide the glad smile on his face as he leaned forward to give his friend a gentle hug. "Sou desu ne, Daidouji-chan." he agreed as he took a step back. "Demo, what are you doing here?" he inquired.  
  
Tomoyo just shrugged one shoulder daintily at him before replying. "Picking you up, what else?" She told him simply.  
  
The amber-eyed boy blushed in embarrassment. "You didn't have to, you know."  
  
"I know. We just thought that it would be nice if we came, that's all."  
  
Syaoran cocked his head to one side. "We?" he repeated, raising one eyebrow at the girl as Tomoyo giggled softly.  
  
"We wanted to surprise you." A soft, familiar voice said from behind him. Syaoran immediately spun around and find himself face to face with Hiiragizawa Eriol. The English boy gave him a slight bow in greeting. "Syaoran."(2)  
  
"Eriol. Hello." Syaoran nodded at his friend. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Duo hopping from foot to foot, all the while eyeing both his friends curiously. The guy in the green tank top was just standing stiffly to one side.  
  
"Guys, I'd like to introduce Duo Maxwell and Hee--uh, ah..." he looked helplessly at the boy standing quietly behind him.  
  
"Li Raiu no da."(3)  
  
Syaoran glanced at Heero in surprise. Even Duo swung his head around to look at his friend in amazement.   
  
Tomoyo cocked her head to one side, eyeing Heero with new interest.   
  
The only one not surprised in the least was Eriol.  
  
"Li Raiu...Your cousin, Li-kun?" The long-haired girl asked.  
  
For the second time that day, Syaoran was at a loss for words. "Ano-" he hedged.  
  
"Kare no wa gookyodai."(4) Eriol's soft voice filled in for him as the English boy turned piercing eyes at the Perfect Soldier. Heero took a sudden step back as a wave of something magical caressed his skin.  
  
"Oh--!" Tomoyo was saying as she clasped her hands in front of her and bowed a few times to Heero. She turned her attention to Syaoran and fixed him with a reproaching look, "You didn't tell us--" she glanced sideways at Eriol, who was smiling, "You didn't tell ME that you had a brother." she immediately corrected herself.   
  
"Uh, it's because..."  
  
"He didn't know it that time. If he had he would have told you." It was Heero who spoke again. Duo was now gaping at him in astonishment. Even Syaoran looked a bit surprised at his brother's sudden defense.  
  
"Uh, yeah. Yeah. That was what I wanted to say." The amber-eyed boy murmured.  
  
Eriol motioned with his head at the approaching Wei. "Shall we go? We have a lot of business to attend to." He threw Tomoyo a meaningful look, which she responded to with a too-bright smile.  
  
"Saa, minna! Ikuzo!"(4)  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
"Where exactly are you guys taking me?" A frazzled, blindfolded Kinomoto Sakura asked for the fifth time as she was dragged along by her friends, Rika, Naoko, Chiharu, and Yamazaki.  
  
Rika and Naoko were giggling as Yamazaki responded. "To take you to see one of the wonders of the Shakatak Tribe in South Africa."  
  
"The what?"  
  
The chinky-eyed boy whipped his head around to stare at Sakura in surprise. "Seriously, didn't your archaeologist father teach you anything?" At Sakura's negative reply, Yamazaki held up one finger and said. "The Shakatak Tribe is the most dangerous tribe in Africa. As you all know I went on vacation a few weeks ago, and happened to come across a wild boar. The beast was ready to kill me, until a brave and fearless Shakatakian warrior came and saved me."  
  
"A brave and fearless what?" Rika whispered loudly to Chiharu.   
  
"Shut up Rika." He admonished. He cleared his throat. "As I was saying, the brave and fearless Shakatakian warrior came and saved me from the ferocious wild boar. As a token of my gratitude I gave him a box of Pocky. He was overwhe--"  
  
"Pocky??" Naoko interrupted, incredulous.  
  
Yamazaki continued on, pointedly ignoring Naoko's later outburst. "The brave and fearless Shakatakian warrior was so overwhelmed by my gratefulness that he immediately took me to see the leader of their tribe." At this point Yamazaki paused dramatically.  
  
"Just get on with it, dimwit!" Chiharu hissed through gritted teeth as she bonked her cousin on the head.  
  
"Ow, Chiharu! I'm getting there, don't worry." He massaged his head sourly. "Anyway, Sakura-chan, they took me to the leader of their tribe right? There I regaled them all with my stories of bravery and valor! The leader, King Karapachias III, was so amused by me that he gave me--" He produced a long broomstick from...somewhere and held it proudly in front of him. "This!"  
  
Rika, Chiharu, and Naoko all face-faulted.  
  
"Uhm, what's that?" Sakura asked. She raised her hands in front of her, attempting to feel the object Yamazaki was yapping on about.  
  
Yamazaki grabbed her hand and let her touch the 'wonder of the Shakatakian tribe'. "Feel it, Sakura-chan. Notice the fine grain of this object? This is really an archaeological prize!" he crowed.  
  
The auburn-haired girl ran her hands along the 'object's' length doubtfully.   
  
Yamazaki was saying. "King Karapachias III told me that in order for this object's power to manifest itself, I have to show it to a blindfolded, brown-haired and green-eyed girl whose name starts with an 'S'."  
  
"So that the object can manifest its power, huh?" Chiharu said dryly.  
  
"I don't know," Sakura suddenly murmured, more to herself than to her friends as she lightly rake her nails at the broomstick, "it feels just like an ordinary broomstick to me." Slowly she grabbed the edge of the broom and gave it a squeeze. "Can I take off my blindfold now, Yamazaki-kun?"  
  
The chinky-eyed boy shook his head mournfully. "I'm afraid you can't, Sakura-chan." he told her. "King Karapachias III told me that the brown-haired, green-eyed girl whose name starts with the letter 'S' should not look at the object until all the people in the room have seen it, or else she'll go blind."  
  
Sakura shrugged as she raised a hand to the scarf's knot at the nape of her neck. "So? You guys have seen it already." she pointed out as she struggled to undo her blindfold. Yamazaki's hand snaked up and grabbed hers.  
  
"Not everyone who has to BE here have seen it, Sakura-chan."  
  
"Hoe?"  
  
The sounds of car doors slamming shut and voices could be heard from outside. A moment later, the apartment doors flew open, and a whole entourage of people walked in, laden with various luggage.  
  
"What's going on?" Sakura asked in confusion as Rika, Chiharu, and Naoko all burst into excited giggles. "Why are there--"  
  
Her blindfold was suddenly removed. The auburn-hired girl blinked a few times before her eyes came to focus on the face of the boy she had not seen in four months. She gasped.  
  
Li Syaoran was staring at her in confusion, a light blush tinging his cheeks. Tomoyo was beaming like a proud mother behind him.  
  
"Hhhhooooooeeeee!!!"  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
While Tomoyo ran after the Card Mistress, Syaoran took the opportunity for introductions, then invited everyone up to his apartment for pizza. Tomoyo and a calmer Sakura showed up about fifteen minutes later.  
  
At that moment, Duo and the rest of the gang were crowded in the living room debating on the validity of Yamazaki's theory on the origin of tsunamis.  
  
"Ok, ok. So let me get this straight." Duo almost shouted amidst the chaos in the room as Yamazaki landed on the carpet with a steaming Chiharu on top, strangling him. "Tsunamis are caused when whales, uh, fart?"   
  
From the floor, Yamazaki replied in a muffled voice. "Yes, Duo-san. The pressure of the whale's fart against the sea water causes the water to spurt forward to the shores in huge waves. Most scientists believe that earthquakes are the prime causes of tsunamis, but we all know that I know better than they do. Did you know--"  
  
"Shut up, Yamazaki!" Chiharu growled as the rest of them laughed. Duo stared at the boy in amusement and utter disbelief as Chiharu bonked him over and over with a pillow, before a mischievous smile played at the corners of his mouth. "Ne, Yamazaki-kun?" he called out sweetly.  
  
The highly imaginative boy looked up from the floor with a slightly dazed expression. "Hai?" he slurred as his cousin gave him another thwap on the head.  
  
Duo smiled smugly as he pulled the pitcher of pineapple juice towards him. "Did you know that in America people believe..."  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
Syaoran shook his head in disbelief as he watched his friend Yamazaki drink pineapple juice through his nose while Duo cajoled him.  
  
"Drinking liquid through your nose is one of the most full-proof ways of proving your manliness in America..."   
  
Turning his attention back to the glasses he was drying, he commented. "Everyone seems to be getting along."  
  
Eriol nodded his head as he turned on the dishwasher. Wiping his hands on a towel, he headed towards the counter and sat down in front of Syaoran. "It's really not that difficult to get along with Duo-san, Xiao Lang." Clow's reincarnation remarked. Eriol pulled one of the already dried glasses towards him and started running a finger over its rim.  
  
Syaoran paused from his drying and watched the English boy's action for a few moments. "Eriol-san," he asked softly as he raised a hand to absently play with the chain of his tassel, "Pardon my asking but, why are you here?"  
  
Eriol smiled that eery smile of his and replied in an amused voice. "Would you believe me if I tell you that I missed your company?" His descendant glared at him stonily. "Ieran and the Elders contacted me as soon as the Heir had arrived. We thought it would be best if I foresee his training with the Card Mistress."   
  
"Sou ka."  
  
"Uhm, Syaoran-kun?" An almost hesitant voice called from the door and both turned to find a blushing Sakura standing there, carrying an empty pitcher of juice. "Rika and I got thirsty, and since Duo-san and Yamazaki-kun spilled most of the juice in their nose drinking contest, I was wondering if we could have more?"   
  
"Uhm, ah, s-su-sure." The Chinese boy stuttered as he leapt out of his seat to get the juice from the fridge. Sakura walked over to the counter and set the pitcher down, her face still flaming. Eriol's smile grew wider, and immediately beat a hasty retreat as Syaoran emerged from the refrigerator with a can of concentrated pineapple juice and a pitcher of water. He ambled clumsily towards the counter and carefully placed all of them down.  
  
"You could have told me you were coming, you know." Sakura whispered as Syaoran quietly started punching holes on the juice can.   
  
He blushed. "I-I wanted to surprise you." he admitted as he poured some of the juice in the pitcher of water. Only a trickle of the thick liquid drizzled out of the hole. Frowning, the amber-eyed boy tapped the underside of the can. "Kora."(5)he cursed to himself as he tilted the can a little bit more.  
  
Sakura smiled at this. "Here, let me." she offered kindly as she made a move to take the can from Syaoran's hands. Their hands briefly touched, and both teens flushed as Syaoran almost dropped the can on the counter with a loud thump.(6)  
  
Sakura licked her lips nervously as she wrung her hands in front on her. "A-Ano ne, Syaoran-kun..." she began softly.  
  
"Aa?" The Chinese boy asked as he furiously punched too many holes on the can.  
  
"Ah...I..I..wanted to tell you something..."  
  
"Aa?"  
  
The emerald-eyed girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Atashiwa...atashiwa..."  
  
Duo stuck his head suddenly through the doorway. "Oi, Kinomoto-chan!" he called out cheerfully, an almost manic glint present in his amethyst eyes as Chiharu's hysterical shrieks of "I think he's drowning!" echoed from the living room. "Where's the juice?"  
  
As the Card Mistress hurriedly grabbed the still unstirred juice from the table and ran out of the kitchen with her face flaming, Syaoran threw a death glare at the braided pilot.  
  
"What did I do?" Duo asked in bewilderment as his comrade's brother pointedly turned his back at him.  
  
~ 0 ~   
  
'Li Raiu no da.'  
  
Heero shook his head as he stared emotionlessly out the veranda overlooking the peaceful streets of Tomoeda. 'I still can't believe I said that.' he quietly told himself as he leaned forward on his perch.  
  
"Said what, Raiu?" A voice asked him from the doorway. In a flash the Wing pilot had his gun out and aimed at a completely unfazed Hiiragizawa Eriol.  
  
"What are you doing here?" He asked the English boy tightly as Eriol closed the door behind him and took a step towards the veranda.  
  
"Looking for you."  
  
Heero's arm wavered slightly as the dark-haired boy advanced one more step. With shaking fingers the Perfect Soldier released the safety latch on his pistol. "Why?" he managed to growl calmly despite the loud pounding of his heart as the unfamiliar energy coming from the boy washed over him in waves.   
  
Eriol chose not to answer this question. Stopping just a few feet away from the older boy, he asked quietly, "Do you know who I am?" His dark eyes were fixed on Heero's own Prussian ones.  
  
Heero was surprised when he heard himself answer almost automatically. "You're Clow Reed."  
  
"Very good." Eriol complimented him, smiling in a rather alarming sort of way. Without warning, Heero felt a very strong power permeating the air around him. His own magic responded to this power enthusiastically, and the Perfect Soldier could almost touch the green aura that he was giving out. His gun fell from his hand. "The power of Thunder is not an easy element to control, Raiu. Even your father found it difficult to control his power. But you WILL succeed. Just cast all your doubts away..."  
  
Heero had taken to wearing the tassel given to him by the Elders around his neck simply because he had seen Syaoran sporting the same thing, only in a different color. Now the chain seemed to burn through his skin, and try as he may to keep his expression blank, he couldn't help but wince.  
  
"The Card Mistress will help you harness the full potential of your power, Li Raiu." Clow Reed's reincarnation informed him, the corners of his mouth lifting up into a small smile as he watched the future heir of the Li clan submit himself to ancient power around him. "Consider this upcoming battle as another one of your missions. You cannot fail."  
  
Instantly the force surrounding Heero Yuy was gone.  
  
And so was Eriol.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
"Where are you heading out to, Syaoran-sama?" Wei called out from the kitchen as Syaoran brushed past him, coat in hand.   
  
"School. To enroll." He replied as he headed for the living room. His coat suddenly dropped from his hand to the floor, and he cursed loudly as he picked it up while walking, immediately colliding with someone.   
  
"Ow!" Syaoran exclaimed as he tried to regain his balance. Muttering to himself, he looked up at the person he bumped into.  
  
And found himself staring up at Li Raiu's clear blue eyes for the first time .  
  
"G-gomen ne." Syaoran gulped.   
  
Heero didn't seem to hear his apology. Side-stepping his brother, the Perfect Soldier went on along his way, walking with machine-like precision. Syaoran shrugged and headed to the living room, where Sakura and Tomoyo sat waiting for him.   
  
The words were so soft that Syaoran almost missed his brother's reminder. "Stay alert."  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
"He's your brother?"  
  
Sakura wanted to confirm as she stopped walking to stare at the amber-eyed boy. Syaoran blushed as Sakura's emerald gaze focused on him, but managed a nod and a meek "Hai."  
  
"And he has magic."  
  
Another nod.   
  
"And your clan Elders requests me to help train him by using the Sakura Cards."  
  
"Aa."  
  
"And he has a gun."  
  
"Aa." Syaoran grabbed the Card Mistress's hand, ignoring the tingle that travelled through his spine as he turned urgent eyes at the girl he loves. "Will you do it, Sakura-chan?" he asked her, the slightest hint of pleading in his voice as he watched Sakura bite her lip nervously as she thought of her answer.  
  
Finally, she sighed. "I'll do it." she replied. Syaoran grinned.  
  
"Arigato."  
  
As the Chinese boy was whisked inside the admission's office, Tomoyo leaned towards her best friend and commented cheerfully. "The things you do for love, ne?"  
  
Kinomoto Sakura just blushed and nodded.  
  
  
TBC  
  
==YATTA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! all the characters are in place! *dances around in her pink underwear* I can't wait to start on chapter eight!!!  
  
  
FOOTNOTES:  
  
1. Hmm...I'm not too sure, but I think this translates to: "Long time, no see, Li-kun."  
  
2. This had to happen, guys! I needed to make it seem like Eriol and Syaoran are already in first-name basis to get that 'ancestor-descendant' feel.  
  
3. It's a masculine but sort of impolite way to say, "I am Li Raiu." I couldn't very well let Heero say "Atashi wa Li Raiu" could I? Besides, we all know he's a sometimes bastard. ^-^  
  
4. Translates to: "His brother." You're probably wondering how Eriol knew about Heero's and Syaoran's relationship. He IS Clow Reed's reincarnation, after all.  
  
5. "Ok, everyone! Let's go!"  
  
6. I think this means "Damn."   
  
7. I think this sort of reminds me of a scene in The VOID Card movie...*winks*  
  
==Like it? Hate it? Let me know! 


	9. Brotherly Affections

Disclaimer: This fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unfortunately. All rights to these amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha, Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time trying to sue me! Your 'corporate boogeyman' won't get anything valuable from me anyway, except for a bunch of lousy grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.  
  
Author's Notes: Again, many thanks to all my faithful readers! Your inspiring reviews make all the migraines and pimples worth it. ^-^  
  
Natsu-chan: Unfortunately, I haven't been able to make the necessary revisions that you've kindly pointed out for me, but the info that you've shared will be applied from now on. Don't hesitate to tell me about my sucky translations, okay? You ain't being a pain in the ass! I really appreciate your help!   
  
DESTINY by rei-chan  
  
Chapter Eight: Brotherly Affections  
  
"Oh, my."   
  
Wei shook his head at his own stupidity as he eyed the overturned bowl on the floor. Rice grains were scattered all across the kitchen, and Syaoran's lunch kit lay a few feet away, soaked in terriyaki sauce. The butler had woken up early to prepare his young master's lunch to school, and since he had also stayed up last night cleaning all the popcorn and pineapple juice from the living room rug, Wei was not the sharpest tool in the shed that morning.   
  
Sighing, the man bent forward to start cleaning up his mess, when the resounding click of a gun's safety latch being released caught his ears. Gulping, Wei slowly rose from his crouched position with his arms raised slightly above him in surrender.   
  
A tousled-haired Li Raiu stood by the kitchen doorway, barely illuminated by the light coming from the hallway. His gun was aimed at the butler's face. Recognizing Wei, the Li heir lowered his gun and asked in a monotone. "What are you doing?"  
  
Wei smiled a bit shakily at his older master and motioned to the mess on the floor. "Making lunch for your brother, Raiu-sama." he informed the dark-haired boy. Bending down, he picked up the bowl and deposited it on the kitchen sink.   
  
"Lunch is normally served on plates, Wei. Or in bento boxes."  
  
Wei's hesitant smiled turned into a sheepish grin as he carefully made his way across the room to the broom closet. "I had a little accident, Raiu-sama." he admitted as he began sweeping rice off the floor.  
  
Heero watched Wei cleaning up quietly for a few moments, before taking a seat on one of the tall stools around the counter, setting his gun down in front of him. "What are you making?" he asked as he surveyed the scattered rice and dripping sauce all over the kitchen.  
  
"One of Syaoran-sama's favorites, Raiu-sama. Chicken terriyaki(1)."  
  
The Wing pilot eyed the still uncooked pieces of chicken on a chopping board on the counter, and the whole vegetables laying neatly beside it. Wordlessly, he picked up Wei's discarded knife and pulled the chopping board towards him. "I will help." he stated flatly as he began cutting the chicken into thin strips.  
  
"Certainly, Raiu-sama."  
  
Syaoran skidded into the kitchen thirty minutes later in his uniform(2). "I'm late!" The amber-eyed boy gasped as he hurried over to the counter where his breakfast sat, pausing only for a minute to stare increulously at the Browning Hi-power sitting just beside his plate before sitting down and stuffing a whole toast into his mouth.  
  
"Hn." Heero grunted at him as he held out a hand to Wei, who promptly passed him the lid of Syaoran's lunch kit. Pressing the lid on, the Wing pilot efficiently wrapped the small lunch box in a large red handkerchief and tied the ends into a knot. Turning, he walked towards the counter and set his masterpiece down. "Your lunch."   
  
Syaoran stopped devouring is food to stare in surprise at the neatly-wrapped lunch box in front of him. He sneaked a glance at Wei as if to confirm what was in his mind, and his butler just smiled at him and nodded. Turning his attention to the person who had thoughtfully prepared his meal, the ex-Card Captor squeaked. "Arigato."   
  
His brother just shrugged at him. Grabbing his gun, he turned to leave, pausing only to glance at Syaoran out of the corner of his eye before muttering. "You're welcome."  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
Tomoeda Elementary School  
  
"..So that concludes my explanation on the Aborigines. Any more questions?"  
  
Takahashi Yamazaki's(3) dark eyes swept across the sea of faces surrounding him. At the far back, Syaoran shook his head in disbelief as one boy from their class asked his chinky-eyed friend how a car works. Leaning towards his companion, the youngest Li child murmured. "Yamzaki hasn't changed a bit, has he?"  
  
Hiiragizawa Eriol shook his own head back at his descendant.   
  
In front, Yamazaki was explaining. "Hamsters play a big part in cars. Did you know that big car companies employ at least three million hamsters a year? They use the hamsters to make the wheels turn, and..."  
  
Both boys just turned to each other and sighed.  
  
"...when the hamsters achieve the certain required velocity, the car wheels move. In race cars, it's an entirely different thing. Instead of hamsters, they use cheetahs..."  
  
"Leave me alone!"  
  
Syaoran's head snapped up and he looked around, a frown marring his face as another "NO!" echoed across the school grounds. That scream sounded familiar...  
  
"No! I won't!"  
  
Eriol placed an urgent hand on his companion's arm. "Syaoran, hayaku(4)! I think it's Sakura-chan..."  
  
Li Syaoran was off like a shot, Eriol following closely at his heels.   
  
The screams seemed to be coming from the opposite end of the school, just by the dividing wall between Tomoeda Elementary and Seijou High(5). Syaoran recognized the area as the same place where he had tried to take the Clow Cards away from Sakura two years ago.   
  
'What's going on?'  
  
He skidded to a stop as he noticed five figures from a distance. He recognized Sakura and Tomoyo right away; they were the only non-males in the bunch. The rest of them were the biggest, hulkiest sixth graders Syaoran had ever seen in Tomoeda.  
  
At that moment two of the thuggish goons held an unconscious Tomoyo in their arms, while one of them, the biggest in the group, had Sakura's arm in a death grip.  
  
"C'mon, gorgeous." the boy leered, making a grab for the auburn-haired girl's chin as Sakura tried to shrug him off. "Gimme a kiss."  
  
Anger boiled in the amber-eyed boy's blood. As if seeing through a red haze, he stormed over to where the group was with Eriol not far behind. "Get your gorilla hands off her." he snarled when he was within earshot.  
  
Sakura's head snapped up at his direction. "Syaoran-kun!" she breathed out, half in relief, half in fright, as the hand around her arm tightened. At the same time the boy's head swung around to face him. "Ooohhh, who do we have here? Ah! It's the new kid!"  
  
"Let her go." Steam was almost coming out of his nose as he glared daggers at the boy holding HIS Sakura. "Now."   
  
Out of the corner of his eye Syaoran could see Eriol challenging the goon's two cronies.  
  
He took a step forward.  
  
The malicious glint in the bigger boy's eyes was quickly replaced by that of anger as Syaoran took another step towards them. "Stand back, pretty boy. You don't know who you're dealing with." he warned.   
  
"Syaoran-kun, no!" Sakura screamed.  
  
The ugly brute bared his teeth at the girl and tossed her aside. Sakura landed on the grass with a soft thump, her emerald-green eyes wide with fright as she looked at Syaoran tearfully.  
  
One of the goons being handled by Eriol suddenly shrieked in fear as he levitated alarmingly in the air. The other one was pinned against the chain-linked fence, the blacks of his eyes almost gone as he hyperventilated in panic.  
  
Clow Reed's magic vibrated in the air.  
  
While Syaoran was distracted with the sudden wave of magic in the air, the goon's fist connected with his left cheek. Pain exploded in a fiery show in front of his eyes as he fought to regain his balance, while the bully laughingly sneered at him. "Dared to challenge the great Kino, huh, kid?"  
  
Syaoran willed himself to stand upright and ignored the throbbing in his cheekbone and the metallic taste in his mouth. Shaking his head to clear it, he spat blood on to the ground, then turned to Kino and smirked. "That all you've got, oh great Kino?" he taunted. The bully's eyes narrowed, and with a snarl, he charged forward, fists up and ready. But Syaoran was faster. Jumping up, he twisted his body into a round house kick and hit the bigger boy squarely on the cheek. While the latter moaned in agony for a few seconds, the brown-haired boy reacted.   
  
Kino was defenseless as soon as the smaller boy tackled him to the ground. Even with his huge bulk and massive forearms, he was no match with the angry boy. Years and years of Syaoran's martial arts training kept him fighting. He threw each punch forcefully and solidly, and in a few moments the bigger boy was whimpering like a sissy.   
  
A soft hand on his shoulder was what made the Chinese boy stop. "I think he's had enough, Xaio Lang." Hiiragizawa Eriol's gentle voice told him as he held out a hand to his friend. Syaoran grabbed the offered hand and pulled himself off the bigger boy, still breathing hard. Sakura had the head of the still unconscious Tomoyo pillowed on her lap as she cried.  
  
Looking down to the bruised face of Kino, Syaoran muttered. "Let's see you try anything to her again." With that, he and Eriol headed to where the girls were.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
Duo Maxwell listlessly flipped through the channels with a remote. Cable TV or not, he was bored. It didn't help that his partner was once again typing on a brand new laptop, the continous clicking of the keys serving as a great distraction for the braided pilot as he tried to concentrate on the TV movie he was watching. "Ne, Hee-chan?" he asked after a few moments, tugging at his long braid in slight irritation as he elbowed his comrade. "Can you take that godawful typing somewhere else? I can't understand anything from my show!" he complained as he gestured towards the television.  
  
Heero took one look at the show and grunted. "It's Indian, Duo."  
  
"Eh?" the Deathscythe pilot asked in confusion, turning to look at the program. Sure enough, two Indians were lying in a tangled pile on the bed, kissing and---Quickly changing channels, he grinned. "Oops! Didn't notice that!" he remarked loudly.  
  
Heero grunted at him again before turning back to his laptop. "You are such a hentai, Duo." the Wing pilot commented quietly as he turned his computer screen back on.  
  
Duo snorted at this. "Yeah. Coming from the person who reads Fushigi Yuugi(6) porn online, that's a compliment indeed." he told his partner sarcastically.  
  
Heero threw him a dirty look. "That was an ACCIDENT, Duo. It wasn't intentional."  
  
"Uh-huh, right. And Trowa's the most talkative guy in the planet."  
  
"Duo--"  
  
"Say what, Heero?" the braided pilot sang out, closing his eyes and wriggling way from his comrade.  
  
"Turn--"  
  
"Yeahhh?!?!?!?!?"  
  
"--the goddamn volume up."  
  
There was a slight scruffling sound as Heero grabbed the remote control out of Duo's hand. The long-haired boy giggled as he made an exaggerated grab for the remote, causing the Wing pilot to lose his balance. There was a thud as Heero landed flat on his back on the floor, with Duo sprawled across his stomach, as both watched the news program on TV.  
  
"--Taiwanese officials had warned the general public to stick close to their homes until the bombings have been solved. Here is a short clip on the current bombing in Taipei."  
  
Heero's mouth tightened as the screen showed an aerial view of the carnage. He could feel Duo's whole body stiffen as he, too, recognized the all-too familiar pattern of the attack.  
  
"Goddamnit, Yuy." the Deathscythe pilot breathed out. "That isn't just an ordinary bombing."  
  
"Hai. Oz."  
  
"Didn't take them long, huh?" Duo muttered to himself as he shifted impatiently from his perch. Heero grunted slightly as his partner's hand came in contact with his stomach, which was his most ticklish spot. Tugging lightly at the long braid trailing down the carpet, Heero whispered. "You can get off me now, Maxwell."   
  
"Hmm?" Duo murmured absently. Heero gave him a pointed look, and realizing their awkward position, immediately leapt to his feet and bounced back on the couch, a light blush on his cheeks. "Soooo," he said, "What do you think will be our next course of action, Oh-Great-One?"  
  
The Wing pilot shrugged. "As of now, none. I will contact Ieran to deliver our Gundams tonight. Then we decide on a plan." he told his partner flatly as he powered up his laptop.  
  
Duo bounced back up to his feet. "Sounds good to me!" he crowed. Skipping all the way to the door, the braided bundle of energy paused long enough to slip his shoes on before calling out. "Well, I'm off to get something to eat! You want anything while I'm out? No? Ok. Ja-ne!!!"  
  
The front door slammed shut.  
  
For about five minutes, the room was silent except for the continues clacking of keys as Heero typed rapidly on his laptop. It was no use. The Perfect Soldier could not hack into the Oz system's mainframe simply because Oz doesn't even EXIST yet. The internet proved to be useless as well, except when searching for Fushigi Yuugi porn (which he DOES NOT do). After a few moments, the Prussian eyed boy sighed and closed his machine with a snap. It was still early to call Ieran and too late to talk to Syaoran, since the kid left for school hours ago. As he thought of something useful to do, his hand absently reached up to toy with the tasseled green orb(7) he had in a chain around his neck. The heat emanated by his source of power comforted him. Sitting up properly, he slipped the chain off his neck and stared at it, pondering on how he would possibly turn it into a sword like the kid's.   
  
The two green orbs seemed to give out a faint green glow as Heero felt his magic rise within his body. Experimentally he swung it sideways as he had often seen Syaoran do back in Hongkong. Nothing happened. Frowning, Heero held it up at eye-level and closed his eyes. 'Magic, come forth!' he commanded as he felt around for the strong force he knew he had in him. He tried again. 'Obey my bid, magic!'  
  
Still nothing happened.   
  
Sighing in defeat, he slipped the chain back on and pulled his computer towards him. Might as well start formulating a battle plan for him and his comrade. At least he knew how to do this.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
Syaoran cringed slightly as the cool draft from the airconditioning in the apartment lobby brushed against his wounded cheek. While Eriol had effortlessly lifted Tomoyo up to carry her all the way to the nurse's office, Sakura had insistently assisted Syaoran while he walked, wrapping an arm around his waist despite his continous protests.   
  
"The guy just socked me in the face, Sakura-chan. I'm not disabled!"  
  
But a stern look from the auburn-haired girl silenced him.  
  
Reaching the door to his apartment, Syaoran dug around his pocket for his house keys. Finding it, he quickly inserted it in the knob and went in, shutting the door soundlessly behind him.  
  
Duo and Wei were sitting in the living room, laughing.  
  
"So, I was hiding in the bathroom at the safe house right? And Heero was--Oi, Syaoran! Jesus God what the hell happened to your face?!" Duo was beside him in a flash. Tilting his chin up to take a better look at the dark nasty bruise he had on his cheek, the braided boy tutted. "Tsk tsk tsk. This is pretty bad." he murmured as he grabbed Syaoran by the shoulders and steered him towards the couch. "Here, have a seat." he told him. Turning to Wei, Duo smiled. "Care to give me a towel and some ice, my good man?" Wei smiled back at him and stood up, brushing potato chips off his trousers as he made a move towards the kitchen. "Oh, and Wei-san! While you're at it, grab the tube of ointment Heero and I have on the dresser in our room, onegai?"  
  
"I'm FINE, Duo, really. It's just a stupid bruise." The Chinese boy said loudly as Duo fussed over his face. Wei came back a second later with some ice cubes wrapped in a towel and the ointment Duo asked him to get. "It's no big deal."  
  
"Ssshh. Shut up and lemme work, k? You'll be as good as new when I'm done with you."  
  
Syaoran rolled his eyes but stayed put as Duo gently dabbed at his bruise with the make-shift ice pack. Wei stood by and watched, occassionally being instructed by the Deathscythe pilot to get certain things from all over the house. While he was being attended at, Syaoran narrated what happened.  
  
Duo let out a low whistle. "You are really soooo like your suicidal brother." he commented as he squeezed a small amount of the ointment on his finger.  
  
"Eh? Suicidal?"  
  
Duo laughed heartily as he began applying the warm ointment on Syaoran's bruised cheek. "You heard me right." he told the younger boy. "Suicidal. Whole reason why we got here in the first place. That idiot brother of yours had another one of his heroic bastard moods and tried to self-destruct. Failed big time, though, as usual. You don't have any idea how many time I've had to patch that asshole of a baka up in the future." Rubbing the last of the ointment on the boy's skin, Duo smiled and patted him lightly on the head. "There! All finished!" he declared happily as he stood back to admire his handiwork. "Your bruise will fade in about two days, so you don't have to worry about looking like shit in front of Sakura-chan for long." he winked slyly as Syaoran made a grab for his braid.  
  
Just then, the front door flew open and Heero walked in, carrying several paper bags. Sakura and Tomoyo were both with him. "Take-out Chinese." he intoned as Wei hurriedly grabbed the packages from him and headed to the kitchen. He glanced at Syaoran and motioned with his head at the two girls. "And you've got visitors. They told me what happened." His eyes narrowed as he caught sight of the large black bruise his brother was sporting. "That kid better not show himself to me, or else...omae o korosu." he growled as he walked over to where Syaoran was, bending down to examine the younger boy's ointment covered face.  
  
Both Sakura and Tomoyo looked rather mortified at his announcement, but the jaunty wink from Duo made them both smile.   
  
"Syaoran-kun!" The emerald-eyed girl cried, running towards the boy and throwing her arms round him as she cried. "I'm so sorry!"  
  
Syaoran's cheeks reddened at this, but awkwardly returned the hug as Duo waggled his eyebrows comically at him. "Daijobou, Sakura-chan." he murmured in consolation as he lightly ran a hand over her back. "It was nothing."  
  
"Hn." Heero grunted suddenly, and within moments had disappeared from the living room, pulling a protesting Duo and an indignant Tomoyo with him.  
  
"Oi! Matte! It was just getting good!"  
  
Syaoran closed his eyes for a moment to bask in the feeling of having Sakura this close to him, but reluctanly pushed her upright again. She sniffled guiltily as she saw the bruise on his cheek. "Gomen ne, Syaoran." she apologized softly.  
  
The brown-haired boy shook his head firmly at her. "Don't be." he admonished. "It wasn't your fault."  
  
"Demo--"  
  
Syaoran silenced her with a finger to her lips, and her cheeks flushed. "Ssshh. It's okay. I'm glad I did it." Realizing what he had just said and done, the amber-eyed lad blushed madly as well, and for a few moments they were silent.  
  
Sakura found her voice first. Clearing her throat, she began softly. "Uhm, ano ne, Syaoran-kun..."  
  
Syaoran's throat constricted as his heart began beating in happy anticipation. "Nanda?" he inquired, staring directly at her emerald eyes.  
  
Her voice shook slightly as she spoke up. "Atashiwa...atashiwa...anata ga--"  
  
She was suddenly cut off by a loud thud and a squeal. Spinning around, the two teens stared with their mouths hanging open as the sight greeted them.  
  
Duo Maxwell and a camera-wielding Daidouji Tomoyo smiled sheepishly at them from the floor.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
The two girls ended up staying over for dinner, and by the time any of them had glanced at the clock, it was too late to send the girls home unaccompanied.   
  
Duo immediately offered to play chauffer for them.  
  
"But we haven't got a car, Duo." Syaoran pointed out as Duo was putting on his shoes. "How will you drive them home?"  
  
Duo smiled an 'I-know-something-you-don't' smile before shrugging his coat on. Motioning to the girls, he said cheerfully. "Come along, girls!"  
  
Heero's wiry form suddenly blocked the doorway. "No." he said firmly, his arms crossed over his chest as he glared daggers at his comrade.   
  
The Deathscythe pilot pouted. "Aw, c'mon, Hee-chan!" he whined, stamping one foot as he jiggled impatiently on his spot. "I haven't picked the lock of a BMW in AGES!"  
  
Sakura turned wide eyes at Syaoran. 'Picked the lock?' she mouthed at him. He just shrugged helplessly at the Card Mistress.  
  
"You drive too fast."  
  
"So do YOU, Destructo Boy!"  
  
"You haven't got a license."  
  
"DUH! As if it'll matter! I'm not even supposed to exist yet, Yuy!"  
  
"Fine." Heero stated flatly. Opening the door, he gestured for all of them to file out. Once outside, he declared. "I'm coming with you."  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
And picked the lock of a BMW he did. As soon as they were out in the basement parking, Duo purposely headed towards the shiny black BMW Syaoran recognized as the one belonging to their next door neighbor and leaned by the driver's seat door. Winking impishly at all of them, Syaoran, Sakura, and Tomoyo watched in astonishment as Duo pulled out various lock picking instruments from his hair and started opening the car. Within moments there was a click, and Duo triumphantly held the door open for all of them.  
  
"What if we get caught?" Sakura asked Duo in panic as she glanced around frantically at the empty garage.  
  
Heero, who had strapped himself in the front pasenger seat, turned to Sakura and replied in a monotone. "I shoot." he told her simply, holding up his gun for her to see. The Card Mistress squeaked and leaned back on her seat, wrapping her arms unconsciously around Syaoran's waist and burying her face in his shirt. (And, nope, HE did not mind this at all!) Heero nodded curtly at this before turning his attention back in helping Duo.  
  
The ride had been a wild one. They were at Tomoyo's neighborhood in a matter of minutes. After dropping the long-haired girl off, they drove over to the Kinomotos. Duo turned the car a safe distance away from the road and killed the engine as Syaoran herded Sakura out the door that Heero had thoughtfully pulled open for them.   
  
Syaoran's heart was pounding loudly in his ears as he and Sakura climbed up the steps leading to their front door. It was the first time he would be meeting Kinomoto Touya since he arrived in Japan. It was somewhat comforting to the Chinese boy that his brother had insisted on accompanying them all the way to the door.  
  
Sakura had hardly raised a hand to knock when the door suddenly flew open, revealing an extremely worried--and a VERY IRATE--Touya. Syaoran instinctively hid behind his brother.  
  
"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Sakura's older brother growled as his eyes narrowed into tiny slits.  
  
Sakura took a step back. "I-I was at Syaoran-kun's, 'nii-chan. They dropped me off..."  
  
Touya's ears were practically smoking as he turned to glare at his baby sister's quiet companion. "OI, GA-" he was immediately cut off by a pair of intense blue eyes pinning him on the spot. "--ki." the elder Kinomoto finished, looking at Heero up and down. "You've grown." he couldn't help but comment as Heero's eyebrows furrowed.  
  
Syaoran stepped out from behind his brother. "Kinomoto-kun." he greeted, bowing slightly. He was surprised when Touya bowed back at him, confusion written all over his face as his eyes travelled from Syaoran to Heero. Smirking, Syaoran said. "My brother, Kinomoto-kun. Li Raiu."  
  
Heero nodded curtly at him. "Pleasure."  
  
Touya nodded back. "Yeah."  
  
The two older boys eyed each other stonily for a few seconds before Touya herded his sister into the house. "Get inside, kaiju, and take a bath. You stink." Nodding at the two of them, Touya closed the door.  
  
"Sakura kaiju janai mon!"(8)  
  
Syaoran shook his head as the sounds of two people arguing loudly echoed from inside the Kinomoto household. Wordlessly, he and Heero walked back towards the car.  
  
None of them noticed it when a huge mecha flew over the Kinomoto house.  
  
TBC  
  
==*ho-hum* I stayed up all night just to finish this. hope you like my latest installment.  
  
  
  
  
FOOTNOTES:  
  
1. Actually this is one of MY favorites. ^-^   
  
2. I know it's not really that relevant in the context, but for those of you who want to know what uniform Syaoran-kun was wearing, it's the one they use during warm weathers. ^-^ Kawaii!!!! The itty-bitty shorts look good on him, don't you think?  
  
3. Is it Takahashi? There are some authors who say Yamazaki's last name is Takashi. Which one is it really?  
  
4. My sister says this means 'quickly' or 'faster'.  
  
5. As obsessed as I am with CCS, I never got around to knowing if Seijou is actually the name of Touya's and Yukito's school. Is it?  
  
6. There ARE a lot of porn stories about Miaka and Tamahome circling the net. ^-^  
  
7. Many thanks to Natsu-chan for providing me a name for Syaoran's and Heero's orb thingies. Just for the sake of clarification, Syaoran's orbs are black while Heero's are green. Again, arigato gozaimasu, Natsu-chan!  
  
8. Ah! The famous phrase!  
  
==Like it? Hate it? Let me know! 


	10. Start of Training

Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unfortunately. All rights to these amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha, Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time suing me! Your 'corporate boogeyman' won't get anything valuable from me, anyway, except for a bunch of lousy grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.  
  
Author's Notes: Just enjoy this chapter, you guys! Sorry if it took me a long time to update. I had a mild case of writer's block!  
Natsu-chan: Wasn't Syaoran-kun saying something like Kasin Shorai in the second movie? What power is that? Fire? Wind? *scratches her head in confusion*  
Hikari-angel: A mecha is a terminology commonly associated with robots and mobile suits. ^-^ Hope you've been enlightened!  
Have fun reading this, people! I think I only have, like, uhm, three, four more chapters to go PLUS the epilogue. My pals have been trying to convince me to come up with a sequel to this, but I'll have to think about that one.  
  
DESTINY by rei-chan  
  
Chapter Nine: Start of Training  
  
Two weeks later...  
  
Heero sat alone on the sofa one Monday morning, absently jiggling his right leg as he stared at the telephone on the coffee table next to him. Since that day he and Duo heard of the bombings in Taiwan, Heero had completely forgotten all about his task of calling Ieran regarding their Gundams. It irritated the dark-haired boy greatly, since he NEVER forgets about important things such as this. But for the first time in his entire life, he apparently did.  
  
And now the Perfect Soldier was eyeing the phone with furrowed brows, his mouth working soundlessly as he debated internally with himself.  
  
'Pick up the phone, damnit, and just call her!' A niggling voice that sounded surprisingly like Duo told him impatiently as Heero made a grab for the telephone. 'Oz might be bombing the whole of Tokyo at this very moment!'  
  
'But what do I call her?' he asked himself in slight panic as he jerked his hand back as if burned. 'Okasan or Ieran?' He stared hard at the black receiver as if it held all the answers to the questions of the universe.  
  
'Ieran.' The logical part of his mind supplied for him. 'You haven't got a mother, remember?' It sounded suspisciously like Doctor J.  
  
'Oh yes he does!' Duo's voice countered. 'Pick up the phone Yuy, and call her okasan.'  
  
'No.'  
  
'Yes! Go on!'  
  
His hand reached for the receiver.  
  
'NO!'  
  
He pulled back suddenly as though the device had suddenly electrocuted him.  
  
'Damnit, Yuy! Just call her and get on with it! Geeze!'  
  
Heero growled to himself as he shook his head fiercely, trying to clear his thoughts off the two quarreling voices. Deciding to finally take matters in his own hands, the Prussian eyed boy squared his shoulders and reached for the receiver.  
  
KKKKRRRRRRRIIIIIIINNNNNGGGGGGGG...  
  
He jumped and cursed loudly as the phone suddenly rang. Mumbling idle threats at his two muses, the Wing pilot leaned forward and picked up the receiver. "Hai. Raiu desu." he barked as he settled back on the couch.  
  
A soft female voice spoke up. "How have you been, Raiu?" It was Ieran.   
  
Heero almost dropped the phone in shock but managed to reply in his normal expressionless voice. "Fine."  
  
"Good." Ieran commented, before her voice took on a more serious note. "Ano, Raiu," she began in a slightly nervous voice.  
  
"Aa?"  
  
"I conversed with the Elders last night."  
  
"Aa."  
  
She let out a stressed sigh. "They think that it's best if you start training as soon as possible. Pai Kwa has reasons to believe that it would only be a matter of weeks before the Tzes finally sense your power. The Elders want you and Xiao Lang to be prepared for anything that might happen." she informed him, sounding a little strangled as she spoke. Clearing her throat, Ieran continued. "I believe Syaoran has already communicated with the young Card Mistress. Eriol-sama is already in Nipon to foresee your training, and Wei-san can help you with your sword-wielding skills. Will that be all right?"  
  
He did not answer for a few heartbeats as the sudden realization of what he had gotten himself into started sinking in. Licking his lips, the Wing pilot replied. "Hai."  
  
"Good. How is Nipon?"  
  
Pushing his thoughts regarding his upcoming training at the back of his mind, Heero sat up a little straighter on the sofa. "Fine." He hesitated slightly, "Ie-oka-san," he finally choked out, shifting a little uncomfortably in his seat as he heard Ieran's sudden sharp intake of breath.  
  
"What is it, Raiu?" she heard him ask in a faint voice.  
  
He forced himself to sound businesslike. "Have you heard of the string of unknown bombings in Taipei?" he flatly asked her.  
  
"Yes, I think I have." Ieran slowly replied. "What about them?"  
  
"Duo and I have reasons to believe that the bombings were caused by the Oz battalion that traveled through time with us."  
  
"I see."  
  
"We need our Gundams."  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
"Don't forget to do the homework I gave you." Mr. Terada reminded his sixth grade class as he started packing his briefcase.  
  
"Hai, Terada-sensei!"  
  
"Good. You are dismissed, then."  
  
As the teacher made a move to the door, only to be intercepted by a blushing Rika who engaged him in a conversation, Syaoran slowly started packing his bag, pausing only now and then to sneak a glance at Sakura out of the corner of his eye.  
  
"She has not admitted anything to you yet." A soft voice suddenly commented behind him. The amber-eyed boy need not turn around to find out who the speaker was.   
  
"I'm afraid not, Eriol-san." He agreed as he heaved a defeated sigh. Picking up his knapsack and shrugging it on, he turned to meet Hiiragizawa Eriol's dark eyes. "I've been here for almost a month. It's not that I want to pressure her into answering, demo..." Another sigh. "I'm getting a little impatient with the wait." he confided his ancestor.   
  
Eriol tilted his head to look at the Card Mistess, who was at the moment engaged in a lively conversation with Naoko and Tomoyo. "It is not her fault, Syaoran. Duo-san and Tomoyo-san make it a point to interrupt Sakura-san's moments of confession."  
  
The corner of Syaoran's mouth quirked up into a small smile at the other's observation. "I've noticed." Putting his hat on, he turned to leave.  
  
"Matte."  
  
Syaoran stopped. "Hai?"  
  
"He should start training."  
  
There was no need to ask who Eriol was referring to. Nodding his head, Syaoran murmured his assent.  
  
At this point Sakura and Tomoyo had approached the two boys and overheard their exchange. Biting her lips nervously, the auburn-haired Card Mistress wrung her hat in her hands. "Are your Elders positive about asking me to train your brother?" she asked the Chinese boy as soon as both girls were within earshot.   
  
Syaoran nodded his head at her. "Yes."  
  
"Eriol-kun is here, and his powers are stronger than mine. Why not ask for his help?" Sakura pointed out.  
  
Eriol shook his dark head. "I have my own task to do." Was all he said.   
  
~ 0 ~  
  
Duo Maxwell was almost hyperventilating as he laughed his ass off, tears streaming down his cheeks. The Deathscythe pilot had arrived home almost two hours ago to find his partner in the middle of a katana session with their butler. Or at least, it LOOKED like a katana session at first. Heero merely waved a long samuri sword awkwardly at Wei as the patient butler tried to teach him the proper technique in swordsmanship.  
  
"A sword is held like THIS, Raiu-sama." Wei had patiently instructed his master as he held up his sword to demonstrate the proper grip to the Perfect Soldier. Heero stonily observed the way the older man held his sword before copying it.   
  
He had been holding his sword the same way that one would hold a shotgun.  
  
Duo had burst into amused giggles at this, and his sniggers turned into full blown laughter as Wei taught the Wing pilot how to parry. After unsuccefully bringing his sword down to bear on an old mattress that served as the 'enemy' for the twelfth time, Heero growled savagely to himself and produced a gun from somewhere in his body, emptying an entire clip at the 'enemy'.  
  
"Killing is killing, Wei-san." he had pointed out in a flat voice as his instructor nagged at him for using his weapon.   
  
The braided pilot was just wiping tears off his cheeks when he heard Syaoran speak from behind him.   
  
"Uh, what's going on?" The amber-eyed kid asked, his eyes fixed on the mangled mattress on the grass and the bullet clips scattered all around it.   
  
Duo struggled to contain his laughter as he turned to the newcomer. "Your-brother--" he gasped, cradling his stomach tightly in both arms as Heero sent him a look of death. "Practicing sword--killed enemy--" He pointed at the mattress with shaking fingers. "used--GUN-" Unable control himself, the Deathscythe pilot sank down on the soft grass and laughed himself silly.  
  
The corners of Syaoran's mouth kept on twitching as he listened to the older boy's broken narration. "I--see." He said slowly, his voice carefully neutral. Again his eyes strayed towards the mattress, then at Heero.  
  
The amber-eyed boy's mouth twitched.  
  
Heero glowered.  
  
He couldn't take it anymore. Syaoran burst out laughing. He couldn't stop.   
  
Wei started chuckling as he watched both Syaoran and Duo rolling around the patio as they laughed.  
  
As Heero watched his three companions laugh, his eyes narrowed, he suddenly found himself seeing what the other three had found so funny. Holding his sword like a shotgun...shooting an old bed mattress when he couldn't strike it successfully with his sword...emptying an entire clip at it...  
  
Soon, all four of them were laughing hysterically.  
  
"Let us try again, Raiu-sama." Wei choked out as a still laughing Heero picked up his abandoned sword.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
Syaoran awoke to the soft clanging sounds of swords clashing against each other and he smiled. Sitting up, he stretched both arms lazily over his head and slipped on his slippers, standing up and trudging towards the veranda. Resting his arms over the railing, he peered down at the front porch of their apartment, where he knew his brother and Wei were training.   
  
Watching the older Li go through the series of drills that Syaoran himself could probably perform in his sleep, the brown-haired boy suddenly realized that, in the short span of five days since Heero started his training, the Wing pilot-turned-magician was doing quite well.  
  
At that moment he and Wei were in the middle of a sparring session, and Syaoran watched with growing pride as his brother dodged and blocked each of his Wei's clever attacks.  
  
"He's getting better, hasn't he?" A cheerful voice asked from the doorway. Footsteps padded across the amber-eyed boy's room and a moment later, Duo Maxwell was standing beside him, grinning. He peered down at his friend as Syaoran nodded his head in agreement.  
  
"I'm a little surprised that he is able to hold up well, considering that he had never touched a sword in his entire life." the amber-eyed boy remarked as he and Duo both watched Heero strike down his 'opponent'. "I mean, it took me six years to learn this stuff. It only took him five days to get the hang of it."  
  
"Well, that's Heero for you then." The long-haired boy replied in a voice that was brimming with pride. Turning to his companion, Duo leaned his elbow on the railing and rested his chin on his hand. "Always the perfectionist, that bastard. He wakes up everyday at three in the friggin morning to practice his sword, stopping only to prepare your breakfast and lunch. After that, he goes out with Wei and trains again. I practically have to drag those two inside the house to eat." Shaking his head, he turned his attention back to watching his comrade. "This is all just a freaking mission to him, this training and that destiny he has in this lifetime. I'm actually a little surprised that he hasn't tried to self-destruct yet."  
  
Syaoran grinned at his companion's last statement. "He better not." he commented, and they laughed.  
  
But as he turned his attention back to watching his brother, Syaoran could not help but wonder. 'He might be getting better at the physical attributes of this training, but the magical ones...'  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
After dinner that night, the three adoloscent boys were watching a news report in the living room when Wei stuck his head from the kitchen.   
  
"Syaoran-sama, Kinomoto-san's on the phone for you."  
  
Duo snorted at this, and began waggling his eyebrows comically at the younger boy as Syaoran took the cordless phone from Wei. "Arigato, Wei." he thanked the old man. "Sakura-chan?"  
  
"Li-kun!"  
  
"What's up?"  
  
He could hear the girl laugh a little on the other end. "Tomoyo-chan, Eriol-kun and I were talking a while ago about going out to have some ice cream tomorrow, and I--er, WE--were wondering if you, Duo-kun, and Raiu-san can come."  
  
"You better not come kid!" A high, tinny voice snarled as Sakura shushed.  
  
Syaoran's eyes narrowed at the taunt. He knew that voice too well. "Omae.."  
  
"The brat's a big pain in the wings, Sakura!"  
  
"Sshh. Gomen ne, Syaoran-kun. Ker--"  
  
"Priest brat priest brat priest brat!"  
  
"KERO-CHAN!"  
  
"We'll come, Sakura-chan."   
  
"Iya! No! Stay home, kid, and eat your sword!"  
  
"KERO-CHAN! Shoo! Go away! Syaoran-kun..."  
  
"Is there anything else?"  
  
He could hear the Guardian Beast's fading mutters in the background as Kinomoto Sakura heaved a nervous sigh.  
  
"I-I wanted to tell you something."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Atashi wa--"  
  
Beep.  
  
Syaoran shut his eyes in frustration at the interruption. He curse slightly under his breath. "Gomen, Sakura-chan. There's call waiting."  
  
He could have sword the girl sounded relieved at his announcement. "Oh! That's ok." she squeaked, her voice much higher than usual. "I still have to call Eriol-kun for the final plans. Matta ashita, Syaoran-kun."(1)  
  
"Hai. See you tomorrow."  
  
She hung up. Sighing, he pushed the plunger button. "Hai. Syaoran desu." he said shortly. 'This better be good.'  
  
"Hello? Is Ikari there? This is Hellan."  
  
Syaoran gritted his teeth angrily. "Wrong number." he snarled, before forcefully clicking the off button on the cordless phone and stalking back to sit between Heero and Duo.  
  
"Interrupted again?" His brother asked him softly as Syaoran crossed his arms over his chest and glared angrily at the television. He nodded curtly.  
  
Duo went on singing happily with the Frutella comercial jingle.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
The amber-eyed boy was still moping in his room when a knock sounded on his door. A moment later, Heero stuck his head inside. "Syaoran?"  
  
He looked up from polishing his sword. "Aa?"  
  
"I have a favor to ask." His brother said tonelessly as he closed the door behind him and walked over to stand at the foot of the younger boy's bed.  
  
Syaoran eyed him curiously. "What is it?" he inquired as he motioned for Heero to take a seat. The older boy complied silently.  
  
He jerked his head stiffly at the half polished sword on Syaoran's lap. "I have not been able to turn my jade orbs into that."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Can you help me?"  
  
The amber-eyed boy was taken aback by the question. The past month that they have been together, the older boy had never asked him for help. Ever. He was a little surprised that he decided to ask him NOW.   
  
"Sure." Scooting forward, he indicated Heero's tasseled orb, which the older boy promptly slipped off his neck. "Hold it in front of your head." he instructed.  
  
Heero did.  
  
"Now close your eyes, and concentrate. Feel the power flowing within you. Then will it to flow through your hand."  
  
Heero closed his own eyes and tried to follow the instructions being issued to him. He had been hesitant to approach the younger boy with his problem at first for two reasons. One was because his Perfect Soldier's 'I-can-do-anything-without-your-help' pride could not accept the assistance of an eleven-year-old boy. The second one was, he was painfully shy to ask for his brother's help.  
  
He felt a hand slap him across the head. "Omae--" Heero growled as he grabbed his gun from the waistband of his Spandex, Prussian blue eyes blazing.  
  
Syaoran eyed him sternly. "You're not concentrating hard enough." the younger boy admonished.   
  
"That's no excuse to hit me on the head."  
  
"It is, too! You won't be able to harness the full power of your magic if you're distracted! Now focus!"  
  
Heero gave the boy a final, voltage-charged glare, which Syaoran returned full measure, before once again closing his eyes and feeling for the magic he knew he had within.   
  
There it was. A huge bright ball of light glowing in his mind's eye. Willing himself to focus completely on his power, he concetrated on nudging the ball of light awake, and willing it to pass through the arm holding his tasseled orb. Heat spread through his body and the strength of the power coursing through his veins almost made him lose control, but he held on firmly, his concentration unwavering.  
  
A white-hot bolt of pain suddenly travelled through his right arm and spread to all his fingers.  
  
"Good." Syaoran said simply.  
  
Opening his eyes Heero found himself staring at the huge blade of his sword.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
KKKRRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIINNNNNGGGG.  
  
Duo wiped the last of the breakfast plates that he had been drying and picked up the cordless phone beside him. "Hai! Li Residence!" he greeted cheerfully.  
  
"Hello, Duo-san."  
  
"Oi, Ieran-san! What a surprise!"  
  
"How have you been?" Li Ieran asked him brightly, quickly picking up the braided boy's infectious cheer.  
  
"Just peachy, mi'lady. Peachy indeed." He replied in a phony British accent. As he listened to Ieran's soft laugh, he added. "I'm having the time of my short, fucked-up life here, Ieran-san. It's great."  
  
"I am very glad to here that."  
  
Duo smiled as he picked up the plates and started placing them back in the cupboard. "So, you want to talk to anyone in particular?"  
  
"Raiu, if you please."  
  
"Sorry, Ieran-san. He's out with Wei, training at the park. Syaoran helped him harness his sword last night, and Hee-chan's running a test on it. As with Syaoran, he's over at Yamazaki's place working on a project. Do you want me to take a message?"  
  
"Oh." Ieran fell silent as the Deathscythe pilot happily hummed to himself as he stacked the plates neatly. "Ne, Duo-san. I will tell you. The Elders have just sent your Gundams over through magic. Have Syaoran accompany you and Raiu to the forests. Your mechas will be there tonight."  
  
TBC  
  
==Gomen ne, minna, if this chapter took longer than the others! Chapter ten will be uploaded in two days time.   
  
FOOTNOTES:  
  
1. "See you tomorrow, Syaoran-kun."--or something like that.  
  
Like it? Hate it? Let me know! 


	11. Eriol's Test

Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unfortunately. All rights to these amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha, Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time suing me! Your 'corporate bogeyman' won't get anything from me anyway, except for a bunch of lousy grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.  
  
Author's Notes: *yawns sleepily*  
  
DESTINY by rei-chan  
  
Chapter Ten: Eriol's Test  
  
Heero pulled his sword back from his attack, loving the feel of the comforting weight of his blade in his hand as he swung his sword around in a graceful arc, swinging it to hit one of the trees that served as his target. Wei had gone back to the apartment an hour ago after almost seven hours of helping Heero train. The old man might still have his superb sword-wielding skills intact, but age had done a lot to slow him down. So he left the older Li brother to practice while he rested his body for a while.  
  
He absently wiped the sweat that had gathered on his brow as he delievered another well-aimed attack. He was about to swing another one when a sudden prickle at the back of his neck distracted him. Swiftly he whipped around in a ready-to-attack stance, his whole being alert.  
  
"You've improved a lot since last week." A voice calmly observed from above him.  
  
Heero surveyed his surroundings carefully in search of the speaker.  
  
"I'm here, Raiu."  
  
Hiiragizawa Eriol, clad in Clow Reed's full magician's garb, descended slowly from _somewhere_ to land gracefully in front of the Wing pilot. With the strangely dressed boy were two of the weirdest creatures Heero had ever seen in his entire life. One appeared to be a big black panther with butterfly wings, and the other, a teenage girl with long dark hair and wings resembling the other creature's.  
  
"Clow Reed."   
  
Eriol nodded curtly at him. Motioning to his two companions, the magician said. "These are my guardians, Raiu. Spinel Sun--" he pointed at the winged panther, then at the girl, "and Ruby Moon."  
  
"Is he the kid's brother? The true heir?" Ruby Moon asked as she turned curious eyes at the Wing pilot. The English boy nodded at her. "I can see the resemblance, mostly through the facial expression." she commented.  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
Clow Reed's reincarnation gave him an eery smile as Ruby Moon impatiently flitted her wings in the air. "In a few days' time you will have to battle with the Card Mistress and her Cards. Do you think you will be ready for that?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
Eriol's eyes narrowed slightly, the way they usually do when he's up to something(1). "Very good." He said softly, his eyes glinting. Heero found himself sweating in slight nervousness as he stared up at the boy's expression. "I see that your physical training in the future has done you well, in terms of your skills and determination. And self-confidence, I might add." He smiled, and his smile was enough to put the fear of God into the Wing pilot. "But, of course," the magician added softly, with a hint of almost manic amusement in his voice as he stared unblinkingly at Heero's tense form. "Before you battle with the Card Mistress you'll have to go through me first."  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
"Come on, guys! Hurry up!" Syaoran called out through the hallway impatiently. "We're going to be late!"  
  
Duo came barreling out of the room he shared with Heero, his unbound hair trailing behind him as he stared at the younger boy in bemusement. "What's the rush, Syaoran-kun? We're just going to the ice cream parlor, not the Nobel awards night." He shook his head to fan out his still wet hair, before smirking at the other boy. "Want to make a good impression on Sakura-chan, I bet?" he quipped, dancing out of reach as Syaoran made a move to grab his hair.  
  
Heero came out a few seconds later, shrugging on a gray long-sleeved shirt over his head. Duo sat down on the couch and began brushing his long tresses, singing softly to himself. "Sakura and Syaoran, sitting on a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"  
  
"Cut it out, Duo!" The amber-eyed boy growled.  
  
Heero slipped on his shoes and opened the door for the other two. "Fix your hair in the car." He instructed at a pouting Duo. "We're late."  
  
"Aw! You Lis are no fun at ALL!!!"  
  
"Out, Duo."  
  
They rode the elevator down to the garage, where their rented car was parked. Heero had grown tired of having to sneak and pick open the lock of someone else's car and decided to rent one while they were in town. Within minutes they were walking inside the ice cream parlor, Duo's thick hair completely dry and braided, and Syaoran's face a sickly green in color.(2)  
  
"What happened to you?" Tomoyo asked Syaoran worriedly as the young boy took a seat beside Eriol.  
  
Duo grinned cheekily at her. "Heero happened. He drove us over."  
  
The long-haired girl's expression cleared. "Oh."  
  
"What are you having?" Heero pointedly interrupted. Both Duo and Syaoran gave him their orders.   
  
Syaoran leaned forward in his seat when he noticed the uncomfortable expression on Sakura's face. She was sitting across him in the booth, sandwiched between Duo and Tomoyo. "What's wrong?" he asked her in concern.  
  
Leaning close, the emerald-eyed girl whispered. "'Niichan's working parttime here tonight."  
  
Duo shrugged at her. "So?"  
  
Syaoran bit his lip. "Kinomoto-kun and I don't really get along well." he informed the braided pilot as he surveyed the ice cream parlor's interior warily for any signs of the older Kinomoto.  
  
"So?"  
  
A hostile greeting suddenly came from the counter. "Gaki's brother." Kinomoto Touya was saying with narrowed eyes as he glared daggers at the dark-haired boy standing in front of him.   
  
"Kinomoto." Heero Yuy replied flatly, his face carefully neutral. His right hand twitched slightly in a squeezing motion.  
  
"And, apparently, so does your brother." Tomoyo observed.  
  
"What would be your order?" Touya asked forcefully as he held up his pen and pad, the fingers gripping the writing instrument almost white.  
  
"Two--"  
  
Heero was abruptly cut off as a loud explosion shook the entire place. Touya took a sudden step back in surprise, slipped, and banged his head on the counter's marble surface.  
  
Duo immediately pulled the rest of the kids down in a huddle under the table before pulling out his gun. "The hell was that?!" He shouted amidst the chaos and pandemonium as Heero ran towards them, dragging with him an unconscious and bleeding Touya.   
  
The Perfect Soldier also had his pistol out. Gesturing towards the bright orange flames outside the window, he flatly replied.   
  
"Oz."  
  
"Mother fucking shit!" The American pilot cursed as another explosion sounded not too far away. He tugged at Touya and pulled him under the meager protection of the table, where Sakura held on to her brother's prone form while staring wide-eyed at the two gun-wielding boys. "We've got to get everyone outta here before we stop these fuckers!"  
  
"Hai."  
  
Eriol held up a hand. "I'll hold them off with my magic." he volunteered. Syaoran's head turned to stare at him, his eyebrows furrowed, while Tomoyo gripped the English boy's shoulder tightly.   
"Are you sure?" the raven-haired girl asked him in a high, panic-stricken voice as Eriol placed a hand over hers and gave it a small reassuring squeeze.   
  
"I'll be fine."  
  
Duo shook his head at them, half in amusement and half in irritation as Heero hoisted Touya over his shoulder. "Cool. Eriol, man, we're counting on you to buy us some time. We'll take the girls, then head over to the forest, where Ieran-san said that the Gundams would be. Everyone ok with this? Good. Let's go!" Looking both ways with his pistol out, Duo darted from under the table, followed closely by the others, and headed towards the exit.  
  
Eriol watched them run out of the store before a malicious grin spread over his boyish features.   
  
~ 0 ~  
  
Syaoran cringed as the air around them was filled with loud, panicked screams. The fires resulting from the explosions were now spreading rapidly across town. He held on tightly to Sakura's hand as they ran out of the shop, with Duo in the lead holding on to a weeping Tomoyo, Heero bringing up the rear with Touya over his shoulder.   
  
Tugging on her hand so that they trail behind the running group, he whispered. "Sakura-chan, use Watery to kill the flames."  
  
Sakura turned frightened eyes at him. "Hai." she said in a trembling voice. Slipping the Key off her neck, she urgently whispered. "Release!"  
  
Instantly her wand appeared in her hands. Trying to keep up with the brisk pace of the two pilots with them, the Card Mistress pulled out one of her cards and tossed it in the air. "Watery!" she called out, holding up her wand near the card.  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
"Watery!" she tried again, much more forcefully this time as Duo and Heero made a sharp turn to the left. "Watery Card!"  
  
Still nothing happened.  
  
"What's going on?" Sakura asked the Chinese boy in panic as they hurriedly ran after their companions, one of her hands groping around to clasp Syaoran's. "Why is my Card not working?"  
  
Her frantic question was answered by a sudden flash of white light.   
  
"Syaoran-kun?" she whispered, as both of them came to a complete stop in the middle of a clearing. "Is that--"  
  
Syaoran nodded grimly. "Clow Reed."  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
Duo's breath was only just starting to hitch in his throat when he caught sight of a hulking mass of metal well-hidden under a large cammo net. "Oi, Heero!" he called out to his partner a few feet back, his eyes shining, "Looks like we've found our team!"  
  
Heero came running a few seconds later, having deposited the still-unconscious Touya down on the ground with the three kids. "Move, Maxwell!" he barked as he headed towards his Wing Zero.  
  
Duo ran excitedly towards Deathscythe Hell, his violet eyes glinting madly as he hitched a portion of the cammo net upward to reveal part of the large metallic foot of his Gundam. "Oi, Deathscythe! Hisashiburi ne!" he greeted his mecha gleefully.  
  
Syaoran watched in fascination as the two huge war machines were revealed in front of his eyes.   
  
"What are those things?" Tomoyo asked in a frightened voice as she stared up unblinkingly at the mechas' metallic feet as Heero and Duo began climbing their way up their Gundams lying on the forest floor.  
  
Heero was already facing the cockpit of Wing Zero. He thumbed a switch and the hatch hissed open. Once inside, he keyed in his password and watched expressionlessly as data began to scroll quickly on the screen, bathing his face in sickly green glow. He strapped his seat harness on almost absentmindedly as he watched Wing Zero's status and logistics dance in front of his face. Turning the comm unit on, he keyed into Duo's frequency and barked, "Pilot 01 to pilot 02. Do you read?"  
  
"Copy that, 01. Can you send me data about our mission? Over." Duo teased in a fake air-traffic controller voice as his grinning face appeared on the visuals unit.  
  
"Hn. Baka."  
  
"So, we're back to business, ne, Hee-chan?"  
  
"Looks like it." Switching on his Gundam's external optic sensors, he zoomed in on the three figures huddled a few feet away. "Stay there, you hear me? No matter what happens, don't go anywhere."  
  
At Duo's openly grinning face in the visuals unit, Heero said flatly. "Let's go."  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
Eriol held up the Key in front of him as people around him ran and panicked.   
  
"Key that conceals the power of Darkness, reveal your true form to me. I, Eriol, command you under contract.Release!"(3)  
  
His long staff appeared almost instantly in his hands.  
  
Turning to look at the battalion of mobile suits currently attacking the town of Tomoeda, he summoned his power...  
  
And began magically controlling the Oz troops.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
Sakura and Tomoyo watched the two Gundams take off with their mouths hanging open. A few feet away, Syaoran stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a slight frown on his face. Seeing this, Sakura called out. "Syaoran?"  
  
He jerked his head suddenly to look at her, his eyes distant and contemplative.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"It feels strange. I've never felt Eriol release this much power before."  
  
She tentatively tested the air around her, and immediately jumped at the strength of the magic vibrating in it. He was right. Eriol had never released that much power, not even when he tested her. "I know. But why do you think--"  
  
"I think he's starting his task." Syaoran took a deep breath and stared off in space. "I think this is his test for my brother."  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
"Visual on the enemy, Yuy. Ident. confirmed. Leos." Duo's voice crackled over the comm link as he and Heero flew across Tomoeda in search of their enemies. "What's our battle plan?"  
  
Static hissing.  
  
Then, Heero spoke up in an eerily calm voice. "Seek and destroy."  
  
"All right!" Duo crowed, even as the thumbnail image of him in the visuals unit pumped its fist excitedly in the air.  
  
Both Gundams landed amidst the carnage surrounding the area where the Leos stood, with the black Gundam's green thermal scythe gleaming madly in the darkness as Duo cackled insanely at the Leos. As soon as Heero's Gundam had touched the ground, a jolt of power ran through his limbs, surprising him. Could it be...Straining his eyes, he observed the mobile suits surrounding them.   
  
His blood froze in his veins as he detected a faint green glow surrounding them.  
  
'Before you battle with the Card Mistress you'll have to go through me first.'  
  
Shit.   
  
Clow Reed was at work, and he was NOT going to make this mission any easier.  
  
Gripping the control panel's stick tightly with his hand, his eyes trained on the eighty mobile enemies in front of him, the Perfect Soldier gave his signal. "Go for it, Duo."  
  
"Aye, aye, Captain!"  
  
He watched as Deathscythe immediately took to the air with thirty Leos at his feet. With a mighty swing of his scythe, four of the Oz troops exploded in a ball of fire. Manical laughter echoed from the long-haired pilot as Heero wrestled with his controls, engaging his thrusters and pulling out his beam sabres in the process. In one swift motion he had Wing high in the air and flying downward in an alarming speed, beam sabres raised and ready.  
  
He delivered a deadly attack at the nearest Leo, expecting it to explode, but it didn't.  
  
His sabres didn't even scratch the mobile suit's paint.  
  
"What the fuck--" Heero looked up to see Deathscythe pause from his own battle, thermal scythe poised grandly in the air. "The fuck--"  
  
"What in the seven hells is going ON?' Heero asked himself in confusion as he let out a few random missiles at his opponents. All missiles struck their respective targets, but, as with the sabres, didn't do any damage to the normally easily destructable Leos.  
  
A shot from the Leos' weapons shook his whole mecha as Heero struggled to stay upright, the gyros in his Gundam's legs working double time as he wrestled with the controls. Once more engaging his thrusters he flew upwards and hovered, piloting his mobile suit out of the way as more shots came from the remaining Leos on the ground. He was completely aware that twenty of the offending Oz suits were circling his mecha gleefully, waiting for the perfect chance to attack. But he would not let them win. Defying gravity once more and flying even higher, he activated his Buster Rifle, aimed, and shot. The troops immediately scattered in a cloud of smoke, and the Perfect Soldier was just about to pat himself on the back when the smoke cleared.  
  
All Leos were unharmed and flying towards him.  
  
"Yuy! What the hell is going on?" Duo screamed from the comm link as he watched Heero fend off the Oz suits unsuccessfully. Slamming his hand on the accelerator button on his panel, Duo muttered unintelligibly to himself before shooting off to help his comrade. "What the--" he screamed as his Gundam hit an invisible force field. Grinding his teeth, Duo reversed, then flew forward, only to be slammed back against his seat by his harness as Deathscythe Hell hit the invisible dividing wall once more. "Heero!"  
  
Meanwhile, Wing had its beam sabres back in hand and was slashing against the metallic bodies of the Oz troops in vain. Heero watched as his sabre made contact with the most sensitive part of the mobile suit's body, the force of its hit only to be deflected by that faint green energy that seemed to protect the mobile suits from each of his hits.  
  
'He's using magic to shield the Leos from my attack.' The Wing pilot suddenly realized as he flew his Gundam back away as the fifty remaining suits advanced towards him from different directions. Duo was shouting his name in panic, and from his external sensors, he could see Deathscythe standing thirty feet away from him, forcefully trying to penetrate the invisible wall holding him back by cutting through it with his scythe.  
  
Missiles came careening towards Wing in all directions, some Heero managed to dodge, some hit his Gundam's body. Though the missiles alone were not enough to completely penetrate Wing's Gundanium armor, the force it exerted was enough to play hell with his computer systems. The red warning lights began blinking on his panel, and the machines running his Gundam started churning unnaturally.  
  
'Feel the power within you, Li Raiu. Use it.'(4a)  
  
Ieran's voice suddenly echoed in his head, even as he strained to keep his control over his mecha as the fifty men Oz battalion started closing in around him.  
  
"Heero!" Duo was yelling.  
  
'Fight the binding force...use your magic...'(4b)  
  
"I've got it!"  
  
Reactivating his beam sabre, Heero shot his Gundam upward with break-neck speed. Hovering over the Oz battalion, he carefully initiated the target lock and aimed. While waiting, he felt inside him for the magic he knew he had and summoned it forward.   
  
A white hot sensation started at the pit of his stomach and snaked up his spine just as the 'Target Locked' message blinked in front of him.   
  
'Come forth and help me.' he pleaded as he forcefully released his magic at the same time that he pushed the the Beam Sabre's shoot button.  
  
Thunder boomed loudly across the sky as Wing recoiled violently at the shot.  
  
~ 0 ~   
  
Both Sakura and Syaoran were panting loudly as they headed towards the clearing where the explosions were coming from, fearing the worst for both Heero and Duo.   
  
They found Eriol and his Guardians looking up at the smoke-filled sky, a light shield protecting them as it rained metallic and electronic robot parts.  
  
"What happened? Where are they? Where is my brother?" Syaoran demanded angrily as he stalked over to where his ancestor's reincarnation stood, grabbing the English boy by the shoulders and shaking him roughly.  
  
Eriol merely smirked at him. "He passed my test." He told the other boy simply.  
  
TBC  
  
==don't get me wrong, guys, i really lOVED writing this chapter, but I think the battle scene was a stinking pile of shit! gomen if it's lousy (and corny! i wasn't thinking!). 9..9  
  
FOOTNOTES:  
  
1. You've seen this already, guys! That eerie, kinda weird expression Eriol gets in his face when there's gonna be trouble for the Card Captors?! Evil, yet, at the same time, cute? ^-^  
  
2. Just to prevent confusion. I think I mentioned vaguely in chapter eight that both Heero and Duo drive too fast, and since Syaoran didn't want to be late, let's just say Heero got a LEETLE too carried away with the speed limit. ^-^  
  
3. Thanks again for the info, Natsu-chan!  
  
4a and b. Reference to Destiny-Chapter Two:Long-Lost Brothers (When he was being manipulated by Ieran's power)  
  
Like it? Hate it? Let me know! 


	12. The Aftermath

Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unfortunately. All rights to these amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha, Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time suing me! Your 'corporate bogeyman' won't get anything from me anyway, except for a bunch of lousy grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.  
  
Author's Notes: Aargh! Sorry of this took so long! I've been having trouble accessing my FFNET account for the past two days! Fuck fuck fuck!!!  
  
Hikari-angel: Syaoran won't be helpless for long, o tomodachi! ^-^ Just wait and see what happens next...  
  
DESTINY by rei-chan  
  
Chapter Eleven: The Aftermath  
  
It was Duo who took the wheel that night. Heero was swimming in and out of consciousness due to exhaustion and was in no shape to move, let alone drive. The amount of power the dark-haired boy had expended was too much for his still-developing magic, thus his body had immediately shut down as soon as the last remnants of the power had left.  
  
Syaoran sat at the back with Heero, Sakura, and Touya, his amber eyes closed in meditation. His right hand was held parallel to his chest, the middle and pointer finger held up. His was a look of intense concentration. Sakura was staring out the window quietly, while her brother gaped at the semi-automatic pistol sitting on the dashboard in front of the long-haired boy. Tomoyo sat at the front passenger seat, nervously fiddling with her thumbs as she gazed out the window.  
  
"He awake yet?" Duo's flat question echoed across the silence as his amethystine eyes sought to meet Syaoran's amber ones at the rearview mirror. The younger boy slowly opened his eyes and shook his head, his forehead creased with concern.  
  
"Iie. He won't be up for a while, Duo-san." He closed his eyes once more.  
  
"What the fuck did Eriol do with the Leos, Syaoran?? He should've known better than to play hell with the mechas like they were some five year-old's fucking toy! Does he think this is some sick joke?! Many could've been killed! Hell, Heero could've been killed!" Duo railed, his left hand leaving the steering wheel to pluck at the air in his rage.  
  
Tomoyo gave a gasp as the car swerved violently out of the way. "A-ano, Duo-kun, the road...please..." She whimpered, her eyes wide with terror.  
  
"Sorry." Duo ground out tersely. He fixed his eyes on the boy sitting calmly behind him. "Well?" he demanded. "Care to say anything to defend your friend, Li?"  
  
Syaoran inwardly flinched at the accusatory tone of Duo's voice. He went back to calling him Li again. Duo was really pissed. And he understood the reason of the Deathscythe pilot's rage. He himself couldn't understand Eriol's warped idea of a test. He looked at Duo once again. The boy had fixed his eyes on the road, his mouth firmed into a straight line.  
  
There was a few minutes of tense silence among the youths inside the car. Beside Duo, Tomoyo shifted. Sakura gave a quiet cough. Touya wisely chose to remain silent, still not understanding what was happening around him. The last thing he remembered was the gaki's brother ordering some ice cream while he was manning the counter at the shop. Now the said gaki's brother was sitting beside him, unconscious, while the braided guy, whom he assumed was the gaki's brother's friend, was driving a stolen vehicle(1) with a loaded gun sitting innocently on the dashboard. He couldn't comprehend it at all.  
  
Syaoran finally opened his eyes, sighed then turned to look sideways at the unconscious form of his brother. Inwardly he felt pride, pride at the fact that his 'niisan had held his own in the face of Clow Reed's full power. Heero had really gone a long way since he had arrived in Japan.  
  
"It was a test, Duo. It was Clow Reed's test for my brother. He purposefully manipulated the Leos so as to force HIM to release his power. Apparently, it worked."  
  
"Yeah it worked all right, that's why there's a whole field full of broken Leos at the battle site we just left! I bet the junkyard guys are gonna have a field day! And you know what else is scattered there? The ones your 'wise and powerful' ancestor didn't account for? Bodies, Syaoran. Corpses. Human cadavers. Innocent lives that were unwittingly lost because of Eriol's frickin test." Duo raged again. He fell silent for a moment, the hands that were clenching the steering wheel almost white with strain as he gripped it tightly. "This ISN'T the freaking war. Nobody HAD to die." he breathed out thickly.  
  
Syaoran just glanced down at his hands helplessly. The braided pilot saw this and blew out an exasperated breath. "You know, whatever, Syaoran." He told the younger boy tightly. "I understand that you had absolutely NOTHING to do with Eriol's sick mind. I know, you felt as helpless as I did while Heero's ass was getting kicked up there. All I'm trying to point out is, this could have been prevented. Heero wasn't the only one who was affected by this wreckage. Many are now homeless, and some either hurt or--worse--dead. Eriol's one fucked-up little dude, I'm telling you." He shook his head warily as he turned to Tomoyo's street. "I just hope to God that the Card Mistress won't be as demented as your twisted ancestor."  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
Duo paced across the wide floor area of his and Heero's room, muttering to himself as he absently brushed the jagged bangs hanging over his forehead. He and Syaoran had wordlessly agreed to stay up together to look after the slumbering Wing pilot. He wasn't all that happy with the arrangement, especially taking into consideration the fact that he was still a bit mad at the younger boy's friend's so-called 'test'. The Deathscythe pilot had spent most of the night walking back and forth across the room and talking to himself so as not to let the almost choking silence get to him.  
  
Meanwhile, Syaoran sat quietly on the carpet a few feet from Heero's bed, polishing his gleaming sword while ignoring the loud footfalls of the older boy. He knew the reason why the braided boy was extremely agitated. He had been wondering too why Eriol chose to administer such a test. Duo was right. Many could have been hurt. It was insensitive of the English boy not to consider the consequences of his actions.  
  
The phone suddenly rang, making both boys jump slightly in surprise. Duo, who was nearest to the bed, leaned over and picked up the cordless receiver. "Li Residence." he barked out shortly, his violet eyes straying slightly to look at his still sleeping comrade.  
  
"Duo-san." A feminine voice spoke up hesistantly.  
  
"Who the hell are you?"  
  
"It's Sakura."  
  
The braided boy's forehead creased slightly. "Oh. Hold on while I get--"  
  
"It's you whom I want to talk to."  
  
"What about? Really, Sakura-chan, I like you and everything, but I don't think this is actually the time for us to chat."  
  
"Eriol-kun asked me to tell you something." Her voice was insistent.  
  
Duo's eyes narrowed at this. "Really." His voice sounded flat and lifeless as he pointedly turned his back at Syaoran to face the window. "What does that freak boy want?"  
  
"He wants to talk to you. Tomorrow afternoon. At the King Penguin Park."  
  
The Deathscythe pilot blew out a sharp breath. "Secret rendezvous, huh? Fine. I'll be there." Whistling to get Syaoran's attention, he tossed the phone at the younger boy. "For you." he deadpanned, before stalking out of the room with his hands in his jacket pockets.  
  
Syaoran silently watched him leave, cringing slightly as the door banged loudly behind the braided boy. Placing the receiver against his ear, he mumbled, "Syaoran desu."  
  
"Konbanha, Syaoran-kun."(2)  
  
He sat up a little straighter on the floor as he heard Sakura's soft voice. "Sakura-chan." He acknowledged her, ignoring the slight racing of his heart as he began toying with the tassel at the hilt of his sword. "What's up?"  
  
He could hear the young girl sigh a little on the other line. "Just relayed a message." She told him simply. "How is your brother?"  
  
Syaoran stole a glance at Heero. "Still out."  
  
"Sou ka."(3)  
  
They became silent. The amber-eyed boy was actually itching to ask what Sakura's message to Duo was, but decided to keep his mouth shut about it. Sakura would tell him if it's important, anyway.  
  
She cleared her throat after a few moments. "Uhm, Syaoran-kun?" she timidly spoke out.  
  
"Aa?"  
  
"I know this is a bad time, but, I just wanted to tell you something that I should have told you a while ago, at the ice cream parlor.  
  
"Nanda?"  
  
Sakura took a deep breath. "Atashi--"  
  
There was an almost audible click from her end, before a deep voice boomed out. "Go to bed, kaijuu."  
  
"ONIICHAN!!!" Sakura shrieked.  
  
"You too, gaki. Enough of the midnight phone calls."  
  
"PUT THE PHONE DOWN, YOU BIG MEANIE!"  
  
"I will if you do."  
  
"ONIICHAN!!!"  
  
"NOW, kaijuu. Not after ten years."  
  
"USO--"  
  
"I think we should turn in, like Kinomo-kun suggests. Oyasumi nasai, Sakura-chan."  
  
The Card Mistress paused from yelling at her older brother to whisper a harried "Oyasumi" before the line was cut off.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
Heero opened his eyes to discover that some inept fool (more commonly known as Duo Maxwell) had forgotten to pull the curtains back across the windows AGAIN. As a result the sunlight coming from the window beside the bed was enough to blind him good for fairly a few minutes.  
  
"Maxwell..." he growled--or, at least--TRIED to growl threateningly as he pushed himself to a sitting position, his eyes narrowed into tiny slits to keep the blinding light at bay.  
  
Duo's head shot up immediately from its resting place on top of the window sill to glance at Heero. "Oi, Hee-chan! You're up!" he whooped joyously, pouncing over to glomp on the still-glaring boy as Syaoran groggily poked out from under a bundle of blankets on the carpeted floor.  
  
"Get off me, Duo."  
  
"Hee-chan!!! Fucking hell, I was soooo worried, you little sonuvabitch! I thought you've died on me!"  
  
"Get off!"  
  
There was a sudden startled yelp and a pained 'oaf' as Duo crashed down on the carpet, landing solidly on top of Syaoran.  
  
Two pairs of annoyed eyes turned to glare at the Wing pilot.  
  
He merely glared back at them, unfazed. "Hn."  
  
With some difficulty, the amber eyed boy managed to extricate himself from the tangle of limbs that was him and Duo Maxwell before clambering over to his brother's bedside. "I trust that you're feeling a lot better?" he inquired, wincing slightly as Duo accidentally trodded on his foot in his haste to pick himself up from the floor.  
  
"Sorry, man." The older boy apologized as he hurried over to stand on the other side of Heero's bed.  
  
Heero crossed his wiry arms over his chest. "Hai." His Prussian blue eyes shifted to pin his comrade on the spot. "How long have I been out?"  
  
Duo shrugged nonchalantly at him, his tense facade from last night completely forgotten as he plopped down on the bed. "Just overnight, dude. T'was nothing serious."  
  
"The troops?..."  
  
The Deathscythe pilot winced slightly at the question. "Blown up to pieces, man. Ninmu kanryou."(5)  
  
"Sou ka."  
  
Syaoran immediately leapt to his feet when Heero made a move to shift himself upward to lean on the head board.  
  
Duo watched the younger boy help his brother settle in before glancing out the window. Almost time for his meeting with the kid freak according to his (faulty) internal clock. Stretching his arms over his head, he grunted, "You guys need anything? I'm taking off for a while."  
  
Heero looked at him strangely but shook his head. Syaoran did the same.  
  
He shrugged, then padded towards the door, softly closing it behind him.  
  
He was going to go and get some answers from the idiot English boy.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
"Shouldn't you be in school?"  
  
Syaoran looked up from his book to meet his brother's inquiring eyes. "I didn't go." He simply replied. "I figured you would need me here to answer your questions."  
  
"Hai." Confusion flickered in the depths of Heero's eyes. "What happened?"  
  
His brother sighed. "Eriol's test."  
  
"I know. But why Oz?"  
  
Syaoran toyed with the binding of his Science book as he thought. "I'm not really sure because I haven't spoken to Eriol yet. But from what I can understand, he used the presence of those robots to trigger your full powers."  
  
"My full powers?"  
  
His brother nodded. "Hai. He wanted to test whether or not you have been improving in wielding your magic. Guess he was satisfied with the results. There were barely scraps of them left from your shot."  
  
"Hn." He paused for a while before asking softly. "How many were killed?"  
  
Syaoran looked up at him uneasily. "Well, all the pilots were killed." he said instead in the hopes to dodge the question.  
  
"Civilians, Syaoran. How many of them were killed?"  
  
"We still don't know. The police are already swarming the battle site since this morning, but there haven't been reports of dead bodies--" He paused long enough to stop himself from adding a 'yet'.  
  
Heero immediately caught on.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
"C'mon, kid. Where are you?" Duo muttered to himself in annoyance as he jiggled his left leg impatiently.  
  
"Here." Eriol's soft voice replied, stepping out from the shadows of the huge trees surrounding the park. "I'm glad you made it, Duo-san."  
  
Duo's eyes narrowed as he stalked towards the English boy, stopping only a couple of feet away. "Cut the pleasantries, bastard. What the hell were you thinking manipulating those Oz fuckers?" he snarled, violet eyes blazing with surpressed anger as Eriol turned deadly calm gaze at him.  
  
"I was merely trying to provoke Raiu to release his full power, Duo-san."  
  
"Then why THEM?! You could've just had a one-on-one with Destructo Boy! You didn't have to waste all those innocent lives just for the sake of 'provoking' Heero!"  
  
The corners of the younger boy's mouth quirked up into a small smile as he read the agitation in the Deathscythe pilot's slight frame. "That seems to sound a little hollow, coming from someone whose hands have been stained with innocent blood for the past year." he whispered softly, taking a step towards the older boy as Duo made a move to draw his gun. "Besides," he went on, "it doesn't matter, Duo-san. Whether or not those pilots were killed last night is not important. They would've suffered the same fate in your hands in the future."  
  
Duo pulled out his weapon and aimed as Eriol took another step towards him, closing the distance between the two of them. "Fuck you, you sick bastard. Go to hell." he snarled angrily.  
  
"Wouldn't they, 02?" The English boy asked him softly, coming to a stop directly in front of the braided boy, the gun pointed at his chest. "You still would have killed them."  
  
Duo's arm wavered slightly. "Oz is dispensable, Eriol. But this town's citizens aren't. The fucking war isn't HERE, damnit. They didn't have to suffer the wrath of Shinigami." he said blankly.  
  
Eriol gently lifted both his hands and rested them on the pistol, closing his fingers around the weapon's length and pushing it downwards, away from his chest. "I know you wouldn't believe me, Duo-san, but what I'm going to tell you is the truth. Only the dispensable were terminated.(6) I've seen to that." he quietly assured the older boy as Duo slumped bonelessly by his feet.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
Ding dong. Ding dong.  
  
"Who could that be?" Syaoran wondered to himself as he closed his book. It was almost seven that night, and he was trying to catch some reading for his upcoming Science test in his room. Heero was back to his old self, which basically means that he was in his and Duo's room typing away on his laptop while his long-haired partner napped. He was still a little drained, but Wei had assured that his full strength would be restored the next day.  
  
He could hear footsteps coming from the hall, and a minute later, there was a knock on his door. "Syaoran-sama?" Wei called through the thick wooden door, "Kinomoto-san and Daidouji-san are here to see you."  
  
"I'll be right out, Wei. Arigatou."  
  
Moments later he found himself facing a very nervous Sakura and a slightly frowning Tomoyo in the living room. After nodding his thank you at Wei for the snack he had just brought out, Syaoran turned to his two companions. "Well?"  
  
Tomoyo's frown was immediately replaced by a sunny smile as she asked. "How is your brother?"  
  
Syaoran smiled back a little. "Better. Wei says his strength would be back by tomorrow morning." he informed the long-haired girl. Noticing that Sakura's face had gone pale as he and Tomoyo talked, he turned to her and asked, "What's wrong, Sakura-chan?"  
  
She exchanged a meaningful glance at her best friend, who nodded encouragingly at her. However Syaoran noticed that Tomoyo's uncharacteristic frown was back in place. 'What's up with these two?' he wondered to himself as Sakura visibly fidgeted.  
  
Sakura bit her lip nervously as she met Li Syaoran's inquiring amber eyes. She had confided to Tomoyo her 'problems', and her friend had advised her to immediately let Syaoran know what she felt. The 'incident' last night had freaked her out so much that she seriously considered backing out from helping Raiu train with her Sakura Cards. But a promise was a promise, and she never broke a promise. Ever. So she decided to ask if Syaoran and his brother would agree if she trained him right away.  
  
"Sakura?"  
  
"Ah! Ah, ano, uhm...hehehehe...Syaoran-kun..."  
  
Syaoran's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Are you alright?" he asked her slowly, noting the too-bright smile on her face and the sweat drops dotting her forehead.  
  
She nodded vigorously. "Oh, ha-hai! Daijoubu! Hehehehehe..."  
  
She felt Tomoyo gently nudge her.  
  
"Uhm...Syaoran-kun?"  
  
"Aa?"  
  
"Can we--" she was cut off by the telephone ringing.  
  
"Shit." Syaoran muttered as he reached for the cordless receiver. "Hai. Syaoran desu."  
  
Sakura watched as the boy's eyes widened. "Okaasan...hai...yes, everything's fine...he passed Clow's test...hai...oh, yeah, she's here with Tomoyo-san...Heero and Duo?...hai...hold on while I get them..." With an apologectic look on his face, he dashed over to where the bedrooms were, returning a bit later with Heero and a very groggy Duo. Heero nodded curtly at the two girls while Duo managed a sleepy smile.  
  
Syaoran punched the speaker phone button on the pad. "Okaasan."  
  
Li Ieran's voice was full of distress when she spoke. "The Tzes know that Raiu is alive. The Elders believe that it will only be a matter of time before Tze Hao Shu and Tze Kang Peng challenge Raiu and Syaoran to battle. We do not have anymore time to waste. Raiu has to train with the Card Mistress tomorrow."  
  
TBC  
  
  
==gomen if eriol sounded too evil in this chapter. it had to happen. let's all remember that shin kidousenki gundam wing is famous not only for the pretty boy pilots but also for its extremely angsty story...  
  
  
FOOTNOTES:  
  
1. In case you guys are wondering where their rented vehicle was, let's just say that the explosion had been a little too close for the poor car's comfort ^-^  
  
2. I think it's "Good evening, Syaoran-kun."  
  
3. "I see."  
  
4. "What is it?"  
  
5. I think it's "mission accomplished."  
  
6. I really meant for this to sound a little vague. In case people want to know what Eriol really meant, he was trying to tell Duo that no Tomoeda citizens were harmed. Only the Oz pilots were killed. 


	13. The Card Mistress

Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unfortunately. All rights to these amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha, Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time suing me! Your 'corporate bogeyman' won't be getting anything valuable from me, anyway, except for a bunch of lousy grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.  
  
Author's Notes: *sigh* It's a good thing Natsu-chan agreed to upload the remaining chapters for me. For that, this chapter is dedicated to YOU, Natsu-chan! ^-^ Hope you enjoy this!  
  
By the way, guys! I'll be going back home in a few days, so I probably won't be able to upload anything else for at least a week. Don't worry, though. I'll be working on the three, four more remaining chapters that same week and upload the FINISHED story when the weekends roll by. Gomen for the slight delay. June is fast approaching, and I still have to get my past year's grades and enroll to college. *swirly eyes* Damn school life! Still, keep those reviews coming, and if it's not too much of a hassle, please recommend my story to your peers. Who knows, I might even start writing the sequel to this. *hint, hint* Ne, Natsu-chan? *devilish grin*  
  
DESTINY by rei-chan  
  
Chapter Twelve: The Card Mistress  
  
"I wonder who this 'Card Mistress'(1) character is." Duo surmised from the passenger seat as he munched on an apple. He, Heero, and Syaoran were in another rented car driving towards the outskirts of Tomoeda, where Syaoran had arranged to meet the Card Mistress. "I mean, we've been in town for almost a month and a half but we've never even met the girl!"  
  
"It really wasn't that important to introduce you to her yet at that time." Syaoran responded absently as he stared hard at his Lasin board, both of his hands' pointer and middle fingers lying flat on the board's surface as he manipulated it. "Her role is not really that relevant in 'niisan's training, at least not before he had to face Eriol."  
  
Duo tilted his head to his side and looked out the window at the scenery rolling pass him. "Still, it wouldn't have hurt if you had pointed her out to us beforehand." He reflected.  
  
Heero steered towards the right, slowed the car before completely coming to a stop behind a long black limousine and a rather large gray(2) van. "Go and find out." he intoned as he pushed the driver's side door open. Syaoran clambered out from the backseat, his Lasin board still held tightly in his hands as the three boys headed towards the dense forest.  
  
Heero, meanwhile, could not help but feel the slightest hint of discomfort as they neared the clearing where his encounter with the so-called Card Mistress was going to be held. Truth be told, he was a little nervous about facing the girl magician. Unlike Eriol's test, the Perfect Soldier had been in the comfortable embrace of his Wing Zero. In this encounter, he would be stripped off all his weapons, his sword and magic his only defense. It was quite unnerving to be completely rid of the guns, the knives, and the explosives that he had always been accustomed to having within arm's reach during battle.  
  
Voices coming from a little ways ahead of him distracted the Prussian eyed boy from his thoughts. Stealing a quick glance at Duo, who had his gun out, Heero did not hesitate to pull out his own weapon as the speakers came within sight.  
  
Kinomoto Sakura and Daidouji Tomoyo smiled cheerfully at the three of them, both in their school uniforms. A bespectacled young man, approximately the same age as Duo and Heero themselves, stood grinning in a somewhat confused way behind the two of them.  
  
"Ohayo, Duo-san, Raiu-san!" Sakura greeted them cheerfully while waving an almost excited hand in the air. Tomoyo beamed and bowed slightly at them.  
  
"What are YOU guys doing here?! Aren't you supposed to be in school like normal sixth-graders?" Duo asked them suspiciously as he lowered his gun to the ground, keeping a wary eye on the male stranger.  
  
The auburn-haired girl chose to ignore this question. Instead, she smiled brightly at someone from behind the Deathscythe pilot. "Syaoran-kun! Eriol-kun! Where have you guys been?"  
  
Both Heero and Duo spun around to see a uniform-clad Eriol and a leafy and panting Syaoran dart out from the canopy of trees, accompanied by a black little cat and a dark-haired girl.  
  
Duo held up both of his hands in front of him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold up!!" he cried out loudly, giving Syaoran a rather meaningful look as he discreetly motioned with his head at the three people with them. The younger boy just shrugged nonchalantly at him in response. "What are you ALL doing out here in the outskirts of town?" He pointed a finger at the somewhat sheepish-looking teenager behind the two young girls. "And who's the guy?"  
  
Eriol walked over to join the two girls and the other boy. Nodding his head at Tomoyo, he said, "It's time."  
  
Both girls nodded back at him, and, turning to the pilots, waved before running out of the clearing. The English boy tilted his head at the other boy, then glanced at the two soldiers. "This is Tsukishiro Yukito. He will be essential in Raiu's training with the Card Mistress. Yukito, these are Duo, and Li Raiu."  
  
He bowed at the two of them politely. "Hajimemashite." He greeted them formally. His eyes were crinkling at the corners when he straightened.  
  
Leaning forward, Eriol proceeded to whisper a few words to the older boy. Duo and Heero watched in astounded silence as Yukito closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and began to glow. A large circle of light suddenly appeared under the bespectacled boy, and wings sprouted from behind him to envelope his whole body.  
  
Duo's mouth was slightly hanging open as he watched.  
  
Heero's whole body was tense.  
  
A moment later, the wings unfolded, revealing a man with long, flowing white hair and the glassiest(3) of eyes the two boys had ever seen before.  
  
"Gentlemen, this is Yue, the Moon Guardian of the Card Mistress." Eriol introduced softly. The girl standing beside him smirked in a self-knowing kind of way, her slender fingers gently stroking the black cat's soft fur as she watched the reaction of the two pilots.  
  
Yue stared at the two boys indifferently, folding his great angel wings behind him as he crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
"Where IS the Card Mistress?" Heero asked Eriol tightly.  
  
It was at that moment that Sakura and Tomoyo arrived. Tomoyo was still sporting her uniform, but Duo could see that she had one of those bulky(4) cameras in her hands. Sakura was wearing a forest green medieval-type dress, with cap sleeves and gold embroidery. The dress split in two from the empire-cut waist, ending in a flowy skirt that was slightly longer in the back than in the front. Sakura's legs were encased in white tights with golden stars stitched onto it(5). On her shoulder rested a yellow stuffed animal with wings, a deep green hunter's hat with a feather on it resting upon the small head. Both girls came to stand beside the transformed Yukito.  
  
Duo stared incredulously at Sakura's strange outfit. "What is with the costume, Sakura-chan?" he asked the younger girl in a half exasperated voice as he ran a hand lightly over his head. These kids were giving him a headache, as if he didn't have enough weird shit on his plate at the moment. "And what's that yellow lump sittting on your shoulder? A stuffed animal?"  
  
To his and Heero's surprise, the 'stuffed animal' suddenly flew up high the air in indignation. "Who are YOU calling a stuffed animal, PRIEST BOY?!" it shouted in a high, squeaky voice, flitting its small wings a little in the air as he circled around Duo.  
  
The air around the Deathscythe pilot grew cold as he glared darkly at the flying *it*. "What did you just call me, you little dingbat?" he growled as he trained his pistol at the small creature.  
  
"I CALLED you PRI--"  
  
"Maa, yamero, Keroberos!" Li Syaoran spat out angrily as he stalked over to them, amber eyes narrowed.  
  
"Why you little BRAT--"  
  
"Kero-chan!" Sakura admonished immediately as a vein in Syaoran's forehead began to throb. Leaping into the air to grab the little creature, she apologized profusely at the two boys.  
  
"Eriol..."  
  
Everyone turned to stare at Heero Yuy's direction. The Wing pilot's face was wearing its' eternal stoic facade once again. "Where is the Card Mistress?" he asked Clow Reed's half reincarnation in slow, even tones, the fingers on his right hand twitching in a familiar gesture that meant 'I'm-currently-feeling-trigger-happy-and-if-you-value-your-life-you-better-start-answering-my-questions-right-now'. (6)  
  
Sakura stepped forward to stand in front of Heero, still clutching the flailing yellow body against her chest. "I am the Card Mistress, Raiu-san." She told the older boy firmly. She let the small creature in her arms go and said softly in carefully measured tones. "Reveal your true form, Sun Guardian."(7)  
  
Instantly the little wings of the creature she had called as 'Kero-chan' grew and wrapped around it in a cocoon-like shape, the glowing circle appearing beneath it just like Yue's had. Within a few moments a huge lion emerged from the cocoon of wings to land on the Card Mistress' right. Yue flew to the air and landed gracefully on Sakura's other side.  
  
The auburn-haired girl held out her right palm and closed her emerald eyes. "O Key which conceals the power of the Stars, reveal your true form to me. I, Sakura, command you under contract. Release!"  
  
The magical circle appeared under her feet, even as a sudden rush of almost visible air surrounded the young girl. The Key that she had been holding grew, until it became a pink baton-like wand topped with a golden star.  
  
Sudden light coming from Eriol's direction indicated that the young magician had also transformed his own Key into his long staff. The girl and the cat vanished. A black panther and a long-haired girl took their place, both with dark butterfly wings.  
  
Duo found himself being dragged by Tomoyo as Syaoran gently pushed his brother forward. Leaning towards him, Li Syaoran gave his older brother a small piece of advice. "No matter what happens, keep calm. Trust your instincts. If there is one thing in this clearing that you have to worry about, it's Yue. Just go with the flow of your magic, and everything will be fine." he said softly.  
  
Heero found himself listening intently, ignoring the slight pang of irritation in the pit of his stomach for letting an eleven-year-old boy instuct him how to win this battle. After all, he WAS the eldest son. But still, Syaoran was more experienced in these things than he was.  
  
The amber-eyed lad gave him a rare smile and a firm nod. "Don't worry. I'll watch your back." With that, he darted off towards the trees beside Duo and Tomoyo.  
  
It took the Perfect Soldier a while to notice that Eriol had also moved away from the clearing. Sakura and her Guardians stood some feet away from the dark-haired boy, waiting for him. Not really knowing what to do, Heero took a deep breath, fumbled under his shirt for his jade tasseled orb, and concentrated on summoning his power. He found it a little difficult to concentrate without Syaoran's instruction, but his younger brother's advice of always trusting his instincts echoed through his mind and he held on to it. The minute that resolve had been firmed, he seemed to automatically know what to do. Closing his eyes, Heero held his jade orbs in front of him and whispered.  
  
"Force, know my plight. Release the light."(8)  
  
Thunder resounded loudly across the clear, cloudless skies as Heero's long sword appeared in his hands. He could see Syaoran and Duo nodding encouragingly at him out of the corner of his eye, and couldn't help but notice that his partner still hadn't kept his gun. Tomoyo stood a little way away from them, filming the entire thing. She waved cheerfully at him when she saw him staring, then at Sakura before giving them both the thumbs-up.  
  
Eriol firmly tapped his long golden staff on the ground. "Are you all set?" he asked the two parties quietly. Sakura nodded at him, her grip on her pink wand tightening just slightly as she focused all her attention at the Li heir. Both her Guardians took a few steps back, far enough so as not to get in the way, but close enough to interfre if necessary.  
  
"Raiu?"  
  
Heero bent his knees slightly and took on one of the battle stances that Wei had diligently taught him weeks ago. "Hai." he affirmed.  
  
"Then, begin." His ancestor simply instructed before taking to the air to watch them from above, his Guardians hovering nearby.  
  
Sakura threw one of her cards in the air. "Windy!" she shouted, raising her wand directly under the spinning card as an ethereal female form took to the air and headed directly at him, stones and pebbles trailing her wake with alarming speed. Heero stilled for a second, marvelling at the intensity of the eleven-year-old's power vibrating in the air as he formulated his counter-attack. Deciding that the first coarse of action would be to dodge as he had always done with bullets, he started moving, and immediately found out that his plan was a mistake.  
  
The stones pelted him from all directions, grazing his chin, his cheek, his body. He ached all over from various cuts and bruises, but he pushed the pain at the back of his mind and focused on his battle.  
  
'Trust your instincts.'  
  
He closed his eyes as the number of stones pelting him increased. Wind. Opening his eyes, he held up his sword.  
  
"Fuuka Shourai!"(9)  
  
Instantly a strong gush of wind hurtled the Card Mistress' stones back at her with deadly accuracy. Her eyes widening slightly, she flung another card in the air and held her wand against it. "Shield!" she cried out. A protective barrier immediately surrounded the emerald-eyed girl seconds before the stones hit her body. Both Yue and Keroberos lunged forward in chagrin, eyes blazing, but the stern look from their Mistress and the threatening wave of Eriol's staff halted their actions.  
  
"You are not to interfere." Eriol smoothly reminded them as his own two Guardians flitted downward to prevent the other two from helping their Mistress.  
  
While Sakura was distracted, Heero pulled out one of the brown ofudas that Syaoran had handed to him before they left that morning and raised it in the air. "Kashin shourai!"(10) he yelled, throwing the ofuda on the ground and stabbing it with his sword. He didn't know what triggered him to do that said act, but he was merely trusting his instinct. To his surprise and everlasting relief, it worked. A fierce line of fire immediately shot out from the now-burning ofuda and unerringly made its way towards the shocked and slightly unerved Sakura.  
  
"Jump!" She shouted. Small wings appeared on her heels, and she leapt into the air with all the grace of a champion gymnast. She threw another card in the air and cried, "Watery!" Immediately another woman figure of unearthly beauty shot out of the card suspended in the air. Watery swooped down low over the fire Heero's ofuda made, dousing the furious flames effectively. The steam rising from the dying flames blocked out Heero's view of the airborne Card Mistress.  
  
"Shimatta!" He whispered harshly, squinting and trying in vain to catch a glimpse of Sakura through the thick haze.  
  
"Sword!"  
  
Heero whipped around just in time to block Sakura's well-aimed thrust with her--his eyes widened ever so slightly--sword. 'Where the hell did she get that?' his mind thought frantically even as his body automatically parried with the sword-wielding Card Mistress. He lunged forward unexpectedly, his sword stretched out in front of him. It would have hit its mark if not for Yue, who suddenly flew forward, grabbed his Mistress by the waist and carried her to safety a few feet away from Heero.  
  
The Moon Guardian looked coolly at the Wing pilot, before calmly moving his arms, as if shooting an arrow. He let fly. Heero prepared himself for the searing agony he knew would follow.  
  
It never came. He opened the eyes he hadn't realized he'd closed in time to see Yue frozen in place, his arm still stretched taut behind him. Only his eyes expressed any emotion, and at that moment they were smoldering with fury. Fury directed at the calm visage of Clow Reed hovering a few feet above them all, Sun staff held in front of him. "I warned you not to interfere, Moon Guardian. You didn't heed me." the young boy stated matter-of-factly.  
  
He pointed his staff at the Moon Guardian, who started, as if freed from a trance. Yue looked long and hard at Eriol, a calculating look reflecting in his glassy eyes. He nodded and stepped back a few paces away from the two engaged in battle.  
  
"Arigato, Yue-san." Sakura murmured quietly. She then turned to the older boy standing quietly in front of her. "Well? Shall we resume?" she asked timidly.  
  
"Aa." Was Heero's terse reply. He crouched down into a fighting stance once again, sword up and ready. He nodded at the auburn-haired girl, who aquiesced. Sakura threw another of her Cards into the air and stretched her wand over her head. "Power Card!" she cried in a clear voice. A tiny girl with a permanent smile pasted on her face appeared quite suddenly in front of Heero. The blue pixie immediately mimicked Heero's fighting pose, smiling all the way.  
  
'And I'm supposed to fight that?' Heero thought, a bit incredulous. 'This is gonna be easy.' He barely heard Syaoran's whispered warning. "Don't underestimate it, 'niisan. That's the Power Card. It didn't get its name for nothing." Heero glanced quickly at his little brother and nodded, silently acknowledging Syaoran's help.  
  
He turned his attention back toward the Card and was bowled over by the force of its tackle. He lay on the ground gasping for breath for a moments, painfully reminded of the time when Duo had glomped onto him while on a sugar high. He would have laughed if it weren't so painful. He was sudenly reminded of the imminent threat posed by the Power Card, who was currently straddling his hips, with both fists firmly planted on his stomach, effectively hindering every breath he took, no matter how deep he inhaled.  
  
While his magician's mind was crying defeat, the military tactician in him began to realize that the Power Card's weight was shifted all wrong. Too much of it supported its arms. If he could only just maneuver enough so as to free his legs a bit, he could...  
  
A millisecond later all in the clearing were surprised when the normally undefeatable Power Card landed in a tangle of tiny blue arms and legs above Heero's head. The little elfin girl sat up, bewildered, before rubbing her chubby fists against her eyes, crying softly.  
  
Sakura blinked. "Return to your true form, Sakura Card..." she commanded, somewhat frazzled. Even Eriol looked slightly amused.  
  
"I think that would be enough for now." The magician announced as the Power Card disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Both Heero and Sakura nodded tiredly at his announcement.  
  
The Wing pilot, who was currently still sprawled on the ground, twisted his body and landed solidly on his feet, clutching his stomach protectively. Duo and Syaoran could be heard arguing as they rushed towards him, while Tomoyo happily recorded everything in her handycam which Heero was beginning to hate.  
  
"I TOLD you he would kick the Power Card's butt!" Duo bragged impressively as they ran.  
  
Syaoran threw him a dirty look. "But that was THE Power Card, Duo-san! That little elf girl was even stronger than a full-grown elephant and a baby elephant combined!"  
  
The braided boy was not impressed. "You forget that your brother is a soldier, Syaoran." He reminded the other boy cheekily.  
  
"Yeah, yeah." As they neared the standing Wing pilot, Syaoran called out, "'Niisan! Daijoubo ka?"  
  
"Aa. Daijoubo." Heero answered tiredly.  
  
Syaoran smiled. "I'm glad."  
  
As Heero turned away, he barely caught the softly whispered words, "I'm proud of you, 'niisan."  
  
TBC  
  
== *snore*  
Ne, was that long? No? *smiles disorientedly* It's 3:40 in the friggin morning, and I'm still nowhere near asleep. Maybe I should start with the next chapter???? *smiles again*  
  
  
FOOTNOTES:  
  
1. Yes, yes, I know that in Chapter Six the Li girls had all but screamed to the whole world that Sakura is the Card Mistress, and Yeran herself had also made constant reference on Sakura while they were talking during breakfast. Let's just say that both Heero and Duo were too caught up with the girls' teasing that they haven't been paying that much attention...  
  
2. Is the van that Tomoyo uses for hauling all of Sakura's battle costumes gray, or another color? My memory seems to be failing me a little...anyway, for those of you who know, tell me! ^-^  
  
3. I don't know how to describe the strange color of Yue's eyes...they look somewhat gray and blue, but the gray's a little more shinier...so I opted to just refer to it as 'glassy'. It fits.  
  
4. Let us all remember that Duo Maxwell came from the future where the cameras are about as small as half the palm of your hand and the mobile phones are installed in your head.  
  
5. My sister thought this up. Don't ask why. I think she's got a particulr GWing ficcie in mind when she suggested this costume. *screams of 'I LOVE DUO!' coming from somewhere to the left of rei-chan* Oh yeah, and she says that if you wanna imagine what Kero's hat would look, you should think Robin Hood. ^-^  
  
6. For those of you who read Gundam Wing fanfiction, you would recognize this familiar little twitch that Duo fondly refers to as 'the trigger happy action'. ^-^  
  
7. This is completely my own invention. Gomen if it sounded a tad too stupid. *grins*  
  
8. From what I've researched, this actually came from Nelvana's (poor) CCS dubbing. I've asked every CCS fan I know what Syaoran says when summoning his sword, but no one's been able to provide me with anything. Natsu-chan told me that Syaoran usually doesn't say anything. He just holds his orbs a little strangely, all snaked around his hand and that, and concentrates. It seems a little, uh, off for them not to say anything, so I decided to just use Nelvana's. Hope you guy's don't mind that.  
  
9. Syaoran's wind charm. I figured it would be all right for him and Heero to have the same powers, considering that they ARE brothers and stuff. The difference in their powers would be revealed during the battle with the Tzes, around a chapter from now.  
  
10. The fire charm.  
  
Like it? Hate it? Let me know! 


	14. The Arrival of the Enemy

Disclaimer: This fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unofrtunately. All rights to these amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha, Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time suing me! Your 'corporate bogeyman' won't get anything valuable from me, anyway, except for a bunch of lousy college grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 standard ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.   
  
Author's Notes: Well, here you have it. Destiny-chapter thirteen. *shrugs tiredly* I'm really sorry if this took too long. I'll do better next time, I swear!  
  
DESTINY by rei-chan  
  
Chapter Thirteen: The Arrival of the Enemy  
  
Three days after the battle with the Card Mistress...  
  
Heero looked up from his laptop when the telephone suddenly rang. Duo came careening out from the kitchen to grab the cordless receiver from its' cradle, winking mischievously at his partner before clicking the 'Talk' button on the phone. "Li Residence. Duo speaking!" The braided boy greeted cheerfully as he plopped down on the couch next to his partner.  
  
"Hello, Duo-san. Is Syaoran or Raiu there?"  
  
Duo smiled and flailed his hands excitedly, causing his elbow to jostle Heero's laptop off his lap. The black machine landed on the carpet with a soft thud. "Ieran-sama! What a surprise!" He crowed, slipping sideways on the sofa and resting his head on Heero's lap. His partner pushed him off in annoyance. "Ma~a, Hee-chan! Stop fidgeting around and let me relax, 'kay?" He whined as he nestled his head even deeper. "Can't you see I'm talking to my number one fan here?"  
  
Li Ieran's soft laughter sounded from the receiver as her elder son glared darkly at his companion before picking up the computer and placing it over Duo's face.  
  
Duo pushed the machine off his head. "Oi, where are your manners?" he scolded as he pushed himself up to a sitting position. "Stupid bastard." To Ieran, he mumbled, "Sorry about that, Ieran-san! You're son's being a big pain in the a--Oi, oi! Not the braid, not the braid!" He almost shrieked as Heero made a grab for his meter-long hair. "Waaa! Ieran-san, he's touching my hair!!! WAAAAAHH!!!"  
  
"Give him the phone, Duo-san. I'll reprimand him for you."  
  
"Yatta!!! Arigato, Ieran-san! Here, you great big MEANIE!" Pouting cutely, he tossed the phone to the waiting hands of his glaring partner, before sticking his tongue out and darting away from the living room, his precious braid cradled protectively against his chest.  
  
Heero shook his head at his comrade's immaturity before placing the receiver against his ear. "Hai." he said gruffly.  
  
His mother's soft laughter immediately died out when he came on the line. "You have battled with the Card Mistress?" Ieran asked without preamble, her voice lacking the motherly affection that Heero had come to expect from her.   
  
Although taken aback by the businesslike tone in Ieran's voice, Heero pushed his hurt away and simply replied. "Aa."  
  
"How did you find your battle with Kinomoto-san?"  
  
He looked back at the events that had happened in the clearing three days ago. "She was efficient. A worthy opponent." he deadpanned. The front door opened suddenly and in came a tired-looking Syaoran. The Wing pilot gave his brother a meaningful look before pointing a finger towards the phone's extension at the end of the hallway. Eyebrows furrowed, Syaoran quickly slipped off his shoes and picked up the other line to listen to their conversation. "Eriol-san put a stop to the fight, though, after I successfully flipped the Power Card over my head after a brief tackle." He narrated in a flat voice.  
  
"That's good." There was a brief pause. "Is Syaoran home? I could feel his aura hovering near you."  
  
Heero raised his eyebrows in mild surprise as his brother guiltily placed the receiver back on its' cradle. He hurried over to where the older boy stood and plopped down on the couch, clasping his hands in front of him as he leaned forward on his elbows, an expectant look on his face.  
  
"Hai. He's sitting here next to me."  
  
"Put me on speaker phone."   
  
The Perfect Soldier clicked on a button. "Done."  
  
"Okaasan." Syaoran greeted their mother as Ieran cleared her throat from the other end. "Hi."  
  
"Hello, son. How have you boys been?"  
  
The amber-eyed boy glanced at his companion a scant second before replying. "Watashi-tachi wa li desu wa ne."(1)  
  
"Sou ka." She went quiet for some moments before letting out a distressed sigh. "Ano ne, Raiu, Syaoran. The Elders have just received word from the Tzes. Tze Hao Shu and Tze Kang Peng have just left for Japan. They're on their way to eliminate our clan's heir."  
  
Both boys drew sharp intakes of breath at the news. Syaoran's eyes widened with slight fear. Heero merely blinked. "I-is that s-so?" Syaoran muttered carefully, his eyes straying over to his brother's still form while he nervously cracked his knuckles together.   
  
Their mother sighed. "Hai. That is why you have to be ready for anything. I advice that you contact Clow-sama and the Card Mistress as soon as possible for the second arc of Raiu's training. And, Syaoran--"  
  
"Hai?"  
  
"You have to fight alongside your brother now. You have to fight the Mistress. And Clow-sama."  
  
~ 0 ~   
  
Sakura was lounging lazily on the couch after cooking dinner for her father and brother when the doorbell suddenly rang. Sighing, she pushed her tired body off the soft couch and trudged towards the door. "Hai, I'm coming, I'm coming." she grumbled as she twisted the knob and pulled the door open. "Oi, Syaoran-kun! Raiu-san! Duo-san! Eriol-kun!" She greeted in surprise, taken aback by her sudden visitors. "Wha-what's up? Or should I say, what's going on?"  
  
Eriol extended a hand at her. "Can we come in, Sakura-chan?" he asked her politely, "This is rather important."   
  
"Ahh, sure, sure! Come in!"  
  
After ushering her guests in the living room, Sakura excused heself to get some tea from the kitchen. The four boys were left sitting quietly and staring at each other.  
  
"I don't get it," Duo started as he ran a hand through his jagged bangs, mouth pulled down into a frown. He turned to Eriol, "I thought your only task was to train Hee-chan. Why do you have to fight alongside Sakura-chan now?"  
  
Eriol pulled his Key off the black chain hanging around his neck and absently started playing with it. "It's the fault of the Elders, Duo-san. They underestimated the strength of the Tze's powers."  
  
"Nani?" Syaoran almost shrieked incredulously. Even Heero looked mildly confused at Eriol's news. The Elders' rarely make mistakes.  
  
The English boy sighed. "The Elders' failed to realize that the Tzes had been steadily accumulating power over the years, ever since Syaoran's birth. The threat of Ieran producing another heir prompted them to search for new magical sources in order to battle with Xiao Lan when he comes to age." he explained quietly. "They do not know that Raiu is still alive and has complete control of his magic."  
  
"You didn't answer my damn question, Eriol. What does all this have to do with you fighting alongside Sakura-chan?"  
  
Sakura came back from the kitchen carrying a tray of tea and some cookies. She set it down on the table and plopped down on the sofa next to Eriol to listen.  
  
"Over the years the Tzes had managed to control the forces of the Wind and the Earth. Before their magic was only represented of ofudas. But now they are already able to harness the elemental forces of the Wind and the Earth. They now have control over Tornado and Earth, two of the Cards comprising the Card Mistress' Deck. Since these newfound magic of theirs has not been seen by any of our clan members, the nearest things that could substitute them are Storm, Windy, Wood, and several combinations of the other Cards' magic. I would be assisting the Card Mistress in controlling her Cards, as well as providing a few other tests for your magic."  
  
"Demo, Eriol-kun," Sakura suddenly interrupted, placing a hand on the English boy's knee and absently giving it a squeeze (Syaoran's eyes narrowed into tiny slits at this)(2), "You know as well as Syaoran and I that our magic can be so strong when combined. How could he and Raiu-san fight us?"  
  
Eriol just shook his head. "That is not for me to say." He placed a hand over Sakura's and patted it reassuringly. Duo deliberately nudged Syaoran and grinned teasingly. The amber-eyed boy glowered. "However, isn't that the entire purpose of their training? To figure out how they could defeat the Tzes' new magic?"  
  
"Yeah, I totally agree, HIIRAGIZAWA!" Syaoran almost shouted, jumping up from his seat and stalking over to where the two were still holding hands. He clapped Eriol on the shoulder roughly, causing the English boy to wince slightly. "That basically sums up the whole purpose of the training. Really."  
  
Duo snickered at the completely confused look on Sakura's face as Syaoran almost breathed fire at the other boy. Heero, seeing that his brother was only an inch away from beating the young magician into a bloody pulp, ancestor or not, spoke up, "Let's start tonight and get this thing over with. I have a feeling that we do not have that much time."  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
Syaoran looked up from his Lasin board when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he found himself staring directly at his brother's slightly uncomfortable Prussian blue eyes. "Yeah?"  
  
Heero motioned at his clothes. "Is it really necessary to wear these?" He asked darkly, plucking at the edge of his sleeves as he shifted on his feet. He was decked in a traditional Chinese warrior's garb so much like Syaoran's. The only differences were in the colors. Heero was in red while Syaoran in green. "I don't think I'll be able to fight efficiently in these clothes."  
  
Syaoran smiled at him and shook his head, gesturing to his own costume as he stood up and sheathed his sword. "Believe it or not, 'Niisan, it's more comfortable than it looks." Glancing at the clearing, the younger boy nodded firmly to himself before speaking, "Let's go."  
  
The two Lis walked forward at the same pace, meeting Eriol halfway as the English boy headed for the battle site. "You guys ready?" Eriol muttered in a low voice, an unmistakable look of concern in his eyes. Both Syaoran and Heero nodded at him.  
  
"Oi!!! Sakura-chan, you look great! Where'd you get the cool costume!"   
  
All three magical warriors spun around to find Duo ogling at Sakura's latest battle costume.   
  
"My," Eriol observed in amusement, his eyes trained on the black-clad figure in the distance that was Sakura, a small smile etched on his face, "Tomoyo-san has outdone herself once again."  
  
Syaoran was gaping like a dead fish at the auburn-haired girl. "Yo-you're telling me." He stuttered, his face a fire-engine red.  
  
Duo happily circled the Card Mistress with stars in his eyes. "My little Goddess of Death!" He cried joyously, clapping his hands in delight as he skipped all around a very embarrassed Sakura. "Man, this is soooo cool!"  
  
The emerald-eyed Card Captor was clad in a skin tight black sleeveless blouse, a very short black leatherette skirt, a pair of knee-high black combat boots, and a black head band with a pair of black bat wings attached to it. Keroberosu stood proudly on her shoulder wearing a little black amulet shaped like a bat and a holding a plastic green thermal scythe in one of his paws.(3) Duo smiled ecstatically and grabbed the miniature scythe from Kero, ignoring the Guardian Beast's angry protests. "Where'd you get this?"   
  
Tomoyo appeared by his elbow. "I convinced Mother to start manufacturing miniature Gundams as toys. I showed her some of my video clips while you guys were fighting Oz, and she was delighted! Production started two weeks ago." At Duo's confused look, she added, "We own a toy company."  
  
"I see."  
  
Syaoran crossed his arms over his chest. "And I'm betting you got the idea for Sakura's costume from Duo-san's 'shinigami' act." he asked the long-haired girl as Tomoyo threw her head back and laughed melodiously.  
  
Eriol cleared his throat. "If we could proceed with the business, please. We don't have that much time." He told them quietly, motioning for Sakura to take her place beside him as Heero and Syaoran both stood in front of the young magician. Duo grabbed Tomoyo and headed for the trees some distance away, where they could both watch (and videotape) safely.   
  
Heero flexed his fingers nervously as he stood towering over the three kids, mindful of the almost tangible aura emanating from each of the sixth graders as they all waited for Eriol's instructions. The flash of green that was his brother's quivered uncertainly, while Sakura's pink aura faded in and out nervously. Only Eriol's grayish aura remained clear. The sound of swishing wings could be heard from a distance, and a moment later, Spinnel Sun and Ruby Moon, both in their true forms, appeared in the air, with Yue trailing behind them. The three Guardians landed beside their respective Masters. Kero tossed his little scythe and amulet at Duo before taking off beside Yue, transforming in the air.  
  
Eriol cleared his throat as he regarded his half persona's descendants indifferently. "Good luck." he whispered before taking off in the air, Sakura not far behind him.  
  
Heero and Syaoran simultaneously unsheathed their swords and took on battle stances, eyes trained on the two hovering figures above them.  
  
"Release and Dispel! Maze Card!" Sakura commanded from above. The magical circle of the Moon, the Sun, and the Stars immediately appeared under her as Maze started its' work.  
  
Heero turned to his brother, "Why--" he began, but Syaoran cut him off.  
  
"This battle's going to be a tough one, 'niisan. Sakura used the Maze Card so that curious people would not stray around and get hurt."  
  
"I see."  
  
Syaoran turned serious eyes at the Wing pilot. "Be careful, 'niisan. While Sakura might be a sympathetic opponent, Eriol is not. Keep your eyes open."  
  
Heero nodded at him. "Will do."  
  
"Release!" Eriol's too calm command echoed from above as he raised his staff high in the air. The already darkened night sky grew even dimmer as short currents of lighting streaked its vast space.  
  
"Rain Card!" The Card Mistress shouted. Instantly a very strong downpour of heavy rain began pouring down on them in fist size pellets, all coming from the too cute figure of a little girl sitting snugly on a rain cloud. Heero made a grab for his brother's arm to pull towards the meager protection of the trees, but Syaoran began muttering under his breath, his right arm raised parallel in front of his face with his pointer and middle fingers pointing upward. He had his eyes closed in concentration.   
  
'He's using ancient magic. Don't interrupt him!' A voice at the back of the Wing pilot's head screamed as Heero made a move to tug at Syaoran's arm. Sure enough, a light protective shield surrounded them a moment later, completely shielding them from the pelting rain.  
  
"Storm!"  
  
Storm rose to the air and, with its help, Rain increased in intensity, beating against Syaoran's shield until it completely dissapperated in the air, drenching the two boys to the bone once more. Heero gritted his teeth grabbed one of his ofudas and threw it on the ground. "Raite Shourai!" he hollered, raising his sword and stabbing the ofuda with it.  
  
Lightning ripped through the sky and zoomed to the two Cards, completely frying them. The rain immediately stopped. The two forms retreated back towards their Mistress.   
  
Eriol swooped down on them, muttering a few incantations as the sky grew even darker. The wind then began picking up its speed, almost uprooting the trees surrounding them as Heero grabbed Syaoran's arm to keep the smaller boy from being blown away by the strong wind. He threw himself and his brother on the ground as a huge tornado appeared from nowhere and began weaving its way towards the two of them, destroying everything along its way.   
  
"Windy!" Sakura cried, raising her wand high in the air as the Star at its tip began spinning.  
  
The ethereal form of Windy appeared from Sakura's card and flew to the air, melding itself with the tornado. Instantly the tornado increased its speed as Windy's magic added to Eriol's.  
  
Heero's mind was screaming panic. His soldier's training did not cover preventing a tornado from destroying everything along its path, and his knowledge of ancient magic was limited only to the few healing spells Syaoran had taught him briefly while he was still recovering from Eriol's test.   
  
He felt Syaoran stir from underneath him. "Fuuka(4), you and I together, okay?" He bellowed as the tornado drew nearer. They could hear both Duo's and Tomoyo's warning shouts from the trees.  
  
"Hai."  
  
They struggled to stand up. Raising their swords, the two boys threw their respective ofudas in the air and yelled. "Fuuka Shourai!"  
  
Their magic flew in a destructive arc towards the funnel-shaped cloud's surface, but nothing happened. Instead of stopping it's approach, it was no doubt that Sakura's and Eriol's combined magic had somehow absorbed theirs.  
  
"Damn! They're too strong!" Syaoran yelled as he jumped away. Heero landed a couple of feet away from him, his Prussian blue eyes trained intently on the rotating tornado, his mind churning. 'There has GOT to be a weakness in this somewhere...'  
  
His thoughts were interrupted when Syaoran suddenly gave a startled yell as the ground started shaking. Eriol was floating in the air once more, his staff and his right arm raised high above his head as he shouted incantations. Sakura was brandishing the Wood Card over her head. Her eyes filled with unspoken terror as she realized what Eriol was trying to do.  
  
The ground split into two jagged halves.  
  
"Syaoran!" Heero yelled as his brother landed on the other side, blood gushing freely out from an open wound on his forehead. "Damn you, Clow!" He screamed as he produced another ofuda in the air. "Raite Shourai!"  
  
The lightning from his ofuda shot out in a fiery line of electrically-charged current at Eriol. His ancestor merely smiled bitterly at him as a bright shield enveloped him inches before the lightning hit him.   
  
"'Niisan!"  
  
Heero spun around as he heard Syaoran's voice. "Daijoubo ka, Syaoran?" he wanted to know as he swiftly jumped over the huge crack on the ground to land gracefully by his brother's side. Syaoran was pointing at the approaching tornado, his face contorted in an expression of pain as his finger indicated the softly glowing ball at the center of the tornado. "I think I found its weakness." He told his brother. He used his sword as leverage as he struggled to stand up, Heero supporting his other arm. "We have to get to it before it causes any more danger."  
  
"Ryoukai." Once sure that Syaoran was firmly back on his two feet, Heero brought out his Fire ofuda and held it in front of his closed eyes, all the while aware that Syaoran was doing the same thing with his Lightning ofuda. The Wing pilot could feel himself drowning in the bright green light within him, and he held on to that firmly. Opening his eyes, he tossed the ofuda on the ground. "Kashin Shourai!" he yelled.  
  
"Raite Shourai!" Syaoran yelled just as loudly. Both boys' magic merged before shooting off towards the tornado's eye, where Eriol's and Sakura's powers were centered. Heero didn't stop to watch if their attack was successful or not. Turning back to the ground, he studied the jagged planes of the once flat forest floor, tapping onto his magic as he searched for the power center. There. Muttering a few incantations under his breath, he tossed an ofuda at a protruding rock and watched with satisfaction as it began to tremble, then disintegrate.  
  
Syaoran whooped joyously as his and Heero's attack hit its mark. The tornado's eye exploded in a cloud of pinkish-gray smoke, both essences returning to their respective Masters as Sakura and Eriol, both wearing tired but happy grins on their faces, floated back down towards them.  
  
"Good. I see you're both fit for our challenge." An unfamiliar voice with a Chinese accent sneered from the trees and the four of them spun around.  
  
Their eyes widened as the sight greeted them.  
  
Duo and Tomoyo were both staring back at them from their bound position against one of the trees. Tears were streaming down Tomoyo's face as she pleaded with them for help. Duo's amethyst eyes were narrowed with anger as one of his captors teasingly waved his pistol in front of the Deathscythe pilot's face.  
  
"Let them go." Heero commanded harshly, taking a threatening step forward as Yue and Ruby Moon flitted towards the two strangers, eyes burning with raw anger.  
  
The older man's eyes took on a sinister glow. "Never." he growled.  
  
"Moon Guardians, halt." Eriol ordered calmly as Yue moved his arms to form his magical bow and arrow.   
  
"Who are you?" Syaoran asked the boldly as he inched his way towards Sakura, effectively shielding her from anything while he glared darkly at the two Chinese men.  
  
The younger of the two strangers stepped forward and brought out an amulet. It was the color of ebony and shaped like the Chinese symbol for Earth.   
  
"Your enemies."  
  
TBC  
  
==Aack! A cliffy! I know you guys probably hate me right now, but please try to understand! This thing is sooo difficult to construct. Demo, the next chapter will be out in a week, I swear on my parents' names!!! Hope you liked this!  
  
FOOTNOTES:  
  
1. "We're fine."  
  
2. Nope, I'm not playing with you guys! I purposefully inserted this! I've observed that Sakura-chan somtimes has this tendency to be very touchy-feely with all her friends, even with Eriol. As for our beloved English boy's reaction (hand-squeezing thingie), hell, he LOVES making Syaoran-kun jealous, doesn't he?  
  
3. As much as I would love to adopt this splendid idea for Sakura's costume, I can't. My demented Duo-loving sister came up with this cool battle costume *screams of 'Death boy rules!' could be heard coming from upstairs* I did come up with the idea of Kero carrying a scythe and wearing an amulet, though.  
  
4. If I remember correctly, this is Syaoran's Wind charm. (Gomen ne, Natsu-chan! I lost my scratch papers!)  
  
Like it? Hate it? Let me know! 


	15. The Final Battle

Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unfortunately. All rights to these amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha, Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time suing me! Your 'corporate bogeyman' won't get anything valuable from me, anyway, except for a bunch of lousy college grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 standard ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.  
  
Author's Notes: I just came back from the Net cafe after uploading Chapter Thirteen, and decided to start right away with Chapter Fourteen. I feel that I owe you guys after having to make you wait for two whole weeks! Now, this is a little short, since I find it VERY difficult to write battle scenes. Gomen about that.   
  
DESTINY by rei-chan  
  
Chapter Fourteen: The Final Battle with the Tzes  
  
Heero Yuy slowly lowered his sword as his eyes grew blank. "The Tzes." He murmured softly, taking in the Oriental garments the two men were wearing as Duo struggled to break free from the ropes binding him. Beside the Wing pilot, Syaoran's green aura was radiating fury as he visibly trembled with rage.  
  
"You killed my father." the amber-eyed boy said softly, addressing the younger of the two men, Tze Kang Peng, as the air surrounding him grew cold. "You killed OUR father."  
  
Kang Peng laughed harshly, brandishing a gray ofuda in the air as the wind suddenly picked up speed. "You're damn right I did!" he shouted proudly, onyx eyes glistening maniacally. "You can't imagine the honor I received after coming home with Yui Ran's blood staining my robes. Such a huge celebration for the death of the most foolish leader of your clan!"  
  
"Shut up." Heero spoke in an unnaturally calm voice, his whole body trembling with barely suppressed fury. His almost-friendly demeanor a while ago vanished in an instant, leaving behind a completely focused and very angry Soldier. Heero's right hand was twitching, as if squeezing the trigger of a gun. "It's best to keep your mouth shut before I kill you." he snarled.  
  
"My, my, so like your father you are," Hao Shu sneered spitefully. "Arrogant, until his painful death by my son's hand."   
  
"Our father was not arrogant!" Syaoran shouted hoarsely. He dropped to a fighting position. "I think you should heed my brother." his eyes glittered with fury. "Shut up and fight."  
  
Kang Peng laughed and inclined his head, mocking the two very angry Lis. "Our pleasure. Father?" He turned towards his sire, who nodded. In perfect synchrony, the two Tzes backflipped and landed on the branches of a tree.   
  
"Halt." Without warning, Eriol suddenly appeared in between the two warring parties, his unsurpassable power vibrating in the air . He looked meaningfully at his two descendants. "It is all up to you now. Good luck, and may the Power of Clow guide you." (1) With that, he and Sakura flew up into the air, joined immediately by their respective Guardians. Eriol uttered a few incantations and a huge, grayish dome appeared, protecting the spectators from the battle that will commence.  
  
Nodding his head slightly at the four, he murmured. "You may begin."  
  
A jet of lightning was issued by Kang Peng. Heero grabbed Syaoran's arm and pulled him down just in time, the sparks barely missing the younger boy's hair. Baring his teeth, Syaoran pulled out an ofuda and threw it in the air. "Raite Shourai!" he yelled, raising his sword in a huge arc and thrusting the blade across the ofuda's surface. Instantly lightning flew from his ofuda at the Tzes, who jumped away and rolled across the ground, laughing insanely. Heero ran over to them and immediately engaged Hao Shu in a fight, while Syaoran hurried over to Kang Peng.  
  
The Perfect Soldier was beyond himself with anger. Calling on his power, he threw a brown ofuda on the ground and stabbed it with his sword. "Kashin Shourai!" A blazing line of fire appeared from the tip of his sword and sizzled over to the older Tze, who in turn raised one of his own gray ofudas in the air and slapped it hard on the ground, shouting, "Power of Wind, come forth!"  
  
A huge, whirling tornado appeared from Hao Shu's ofuda and began moving towards Heero's direction in an alarming speed. Using his Perfect Soldier agility, Heero performed several backflips that Trowa had kindly taught him not three months ago and moved away from the line of destruction. Closing his eyes, he focused on the swirling white light that was his magic and summoned it forward in his hands. "Suirou Shourai!"(2) As the strong force of water spurted towards the swirling tornado, Heero threw another ofuda in the air. "Raite Shourai!"  
  
The two Elements joined together to attack Hao Shu's tornado. Heero's whole body was trembling with exhaustion at the huge amount of magic he was spending, but he held on tight and concentrated, the fingers gripping the hilt of his sword white with strain as he tried to destroy Tze Hao Shu's tornado.  
  
Meanwhile, Syaoran was struggling with all his might against the swifter and stronger Kang Peng. While his father was the one who could control the element of the Wind, Kang Peng was the one who had power over the Earth. It almost took all of the amber-eyed boy's energy just to keep up the protective shield he had raised as Kang Peng pelted him with various stones. The Chinese man held up his arms over his head and shouted out several incantations. The ground shook, and a moment later, it split into two, the jagged center directly under Syaoran. Yelling, the amber-eyed boy clenched his jaw and called upon his magic, and he levitated over the giant crack. Raising an ofuda in front of his face, Syaoran muttered a few Words of Magic to himself, before throwing it into the air, "Raite Shourai!" he shouted loudly. Lightning issued from his ofuda and headed straight at Kang Peng, who was not able to duck in time. With a startled cry, the younger Tze fell to the ground.   
  
Heero saw a bleeding Kang Peng drop to the ground as he struggled against the Binding Magic Hao Shu had on him. He heard the Chinese man swear loudly in cantonese and Heero turned to see what he was going to do. He watched with growing panic as Hao Shu narrowed his eyes at the panting Syaoran and shot Fire at his brother. He tried to scream, but found him unable to open his mouth. He watched in horror as Syaoran struggled to break free from the fiery bonds wrapped tightly around his body as Kang Peng rose unsteadily on his feet and began chanting to himself. Frantically, Heero felt around for his magic. Praying that his plan would work even without his sword, he closed his eyes and focused, saying the first thing that came to his mind as he heard Syaoran's screams of pain in the background.   
  
"Rakurai Shourai!"(3)  
  
Thunder boomed loudly from the sky, accompanied by lightning, and whizzed towards the two Tzes, who were both unprepared for the Wing pilot's attack. They both landed on the jagged ground bonelessly.  
  
The binds around Heero instantly disappeared, and picking up his sword, headed straight to Syaoran, who was slowly picking himself up from the ground. The cut he had received during their battle with Eriol and Sakura had reopened and was pooling blood on his temple. Grasping his brother on the shoulder, the older Li murmured, "Are you alright?"  
  
Syaoran winced as the wound on his head started throbbing, but he nodded, "Hai. Just a bit banged up. You did great with your rakurai. 'niisan." He slowly rotated his right wrist, face pinched with pain. "He did something with my sword-arm, though. It hurts."  
  
Heero took Syaoran's wrist lightly and examined it. "You just twisted it a little bit. It'll be all right in a few moments." He glanced at the two Tzes slowly stirring on the ground. "The battle's not over yet."  
  
Syaoran followed his gaze. "I know." he whispered. Wordlessly, the two Lis turned to face their opponents.  
  
Kang Peng was bleeding from head to foot, after having been hit by lightning twice in a row. Hao Shu looked more or less the same, but the malicious intensity in both their eyes warned Heero not to take the two lightly.  
  
Suddenly, Hao Shu raised a gray ofuda in the air. "Power of Wind. Come forth and help me!" he bellowed. The two Lis frantically looked around for the tornado that they knew was somewhere, when suddenly, both were literally swept of their feet as the eye of Hao Shu's tornado started spinning rapidly right at their feet. Heero pulled out one of his ofudas, but before he could even move, he found himself sprawled on his back a few feet away.   
  
He watched as Syaoran was swept off his feet by the tornado. His heart almost stopped beating at the pitiful sight that washis brother. At the peripheral of his vision he could see Sakura's and Duo's panicked expressions. Narrowing his eyes, Heero summoned his Fire charm and aimed it at the two Tzes. But his attack was easily deflected by Kang Peng who raised a protective shield over him and his father while they laughed insanely.  
  
"You thought we were that easy to defeat, didn't you, Li Raiu?" Hao Shu mocked him as he flipped Syaoran in the air while Kang Peng pelted him with stones and rocks, "Think again, then!"  
  
As the two Tzes tortured his brother, Heero found himself seeing through a red haze. Throwing his sword away, he reached behind his back for the gun he had surreptitiously hidden under his costume and pulled it out. Aiming at the two unaware Chinese men, he pulled the trigger.  
  
Bang. Bang.  
  
As Syaoran landed on the forest floor, bleeding, two newly-dead bodies landed on the ground.  
  
Walking over to where the two carcasses where lying, Heero said blankly, "Ninmu kanryou."  
  
FOOTNOTES:  
  
1. Think Master Yoda. "May the Force be with you." (my sister just watched Episode II, hence the corny allusion).  
  
2. Natsu-chan supplied this for me. She's not entirely sure whether or not this is actually the word used by Syaoran to summon his water charm, but I think she checked chinese dictionaries for this and kinda changed it a little bit to sound japanese. ^-^ Arigatou gozaimasu, Natsu!  
  
3. According to my ever-reliable English-Japanese dictionary, 'rakurai' is 'thunderbolt'. This'll be Heero's hailed 'special' power. (Ugh! I can't believe how corny that sounded!)  
  
Like it? Hate it? Let me know! 


	16. Family Day

Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unfortunately. All rights to these amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha, Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time suing me! Your 'corporate bogeyman' won't get anything valuable from me, anyway, except for a handful of lousy college grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 standard ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.  
  
Author's Notes: Hehehehe...  
  
DESTINY by rei-chan  
  
Chapter Fifteen: Family Day  
  
Quiet sobbing.  
  
A familiar male voice said, "Maa, Sakura-chan, stop crying! He's going to be all right, don't worry!"  
  
The sound of a hard hand meeting a harder head.   
  
"I CAN'T STOP CRYING, you stupid, stupid BAKA(1)!" Sakura wailed, her voice having a hysterical edge on it as Duo Maxwell grumbled in pain, "He almost DIED! DIED! And I haven't even told him how I feel about him!"  
  
"Daijoubo, Sakura-chan. When he wakes up, you can tell him. Duo-san and I will even leave you alone. Promise!"  
  
"You better." A threathening growl. "Or else I'll shoot you both!"  
  
Two indignant squeals.   
  
"I COMPLETELY resent that, Hee-chan!"  
  
Soft laughter.  
  
"There's no need to be homicidal, Raiu." A soft hand on Syaoran's arm. "Besides, he's awake."  
  
Syaoran groaned loudly as he struggled to open his eyes, the pain in his head intensifying as the light filtering from the window almost blinded him. "What the--what the hell happened?" he moaned in pathetic-sounding voice, raising an arm in front of him to shield his eyes from the sun's harsh glare.  
  
He was almost bowled over when a person threw itself on his chest and started sobbing. Loudly. "Thank the gods, Syaoran-kun! You're ok!" Sakura yelled.  
  
The Chinese boy sighed as he wrapped his arms around the Card Mistress. "Ssshh. I'm all right, Sakura-chan. I'm all right." He cringed at Heero's direction. His brother smirked at him in sympathy.  
  
Heero Yuy touched his brother's arm with his eyebrows furrowed with concern. "How are you feeling?" He asked the younger boy in a surprisingly gentle voice as his calculating eyes ran over his brother's body, checking and examining. Beside him, Eriol smilingly slapped Tomoyo's hand as the raven-haired girl made a move to turn on her video camera.  
  
"But they're just so KAWAII!" Tomoyo protested.  
  
Syaoran tilted his head back and smiled. "Like I've been rolled over by a tractor." He tensed as his head started throbbing, and closed his eyes to minimize the pain. "But I'll live." he mumbled.  
  
"Good."  
  
They spent a few moments in silence, broken only by the sound of Sakura's quiet sniffles and Duo's and Tomoyo's soft argument about perfect video angles. Syaoran absently began stroking the emerald-eyed girl's hair while shushing her.  
  
Heero eyed them all sternly. "We should go. ALL OF US." He pointedly glared at Duo and Tomoyo, who were currently playing tug-of-war with Tomoyo's video camera.   
  
Duo pouted at his declaration. "NOW?!" he cried.  
  
Heero sent him a look of death. "Now."  
  
Grumbling, the braided pilot stood up and made a beeline for the door, with Eriol and Tomoyo not far behind him. Heero patted his brother's shoulder gently and gave Sakura an encouraging smirk before following the others out of the room, closing the door soundlessly behind him.   
  
The sounds of Duo's and Tomoyo's indignant protests could be heard outside.  
  
Sakura sniffled before pushing herself up to a sitting position, her eyes narrowed into two angry little slits as she started hitting Syaoran on the chest. "You stupid, stupid, STUPID idiot!" she cried hysterically, tears coursing down her fair cheeks as she grabbed on to the amber-eyed boy's shirt with her fists, "You could have gotten yourself KILLED! What were you thinking? I'm sick and tired of your heroic acts Syaoran! I'm so sick of having to fear for your life ALL the time! How could--"  
  
Her tirade was cut off when one of Syaoran's hands came to rest on one of her balled-up fists while the other slipped under her chin and gently forced her to look up to him.   
  
Emerald eyes locked with amber ones for one full minute before Syaoran spoke softly, "Why?"  
  
That shocked the girl out from her crying. "Hoe?"  
  
"Why does my life matter to you that much?"  
  
Sakura exploded. "Are you that incredibly STUPID, you, you GAKI?! Why does your life matter to me that much? Why? It's because I love you, you dimwit! I-LOVE-YOU! I love you!" she jumped up from the bed and started pacing about the room, her arms flailing wildly over her head in emphasis as she talked, "I've loved you ever since the day I first saw you! I was just too much of a clueless little airhead to realize that at that time! I love you for always being there for me, for always being the first person to express concern for me, I love you for everything that you are! I love you Syaoran! Ga suki da yo(2)! Now do you understand? Huh? Huh?!"  
  
She turned to Syaoran with frazzled, harried eyes, only to find that the boy was laughing softly under his breath. "What are you laughing at, Li-kun? You think I'm joking? Well I'm not!" She jumped back on his bed and grabbed fistfulls his shirt, pulling the boy's face towards her, "Stop that!" she screamed.  
  
Syaoran was having a hard time breathing. "Go-gomen ne, Sakura!" he choked out hoarsely, "Of course I believe you! It's just that I've always tried to imagine how you would answer me back. This just took the cake as far as aggressiveness goes, Sakura-chan!"  
  
The Card Mistress stared dumbly at Syaoran for a couple of minutes, before realization sank in. "Oh Kami-sama," she breathed out in disbelief, her fists falling from Syaoran's shirt, "I said it...oh God..."  
  
The Chinese boy stopped laughing immediately and gently grabbed both of Sakura's hands in his. "It's ok. I wouldn't have minded how you said it. What's important to me is that--" He smiled. "You said it." Taking a deep breath, Syaoran stared directly into her eyes, "Suki da, Sakura-chan. Watashi no kokoro.(3)"  
  
Sakura smiled brightly before moving forward and resting her forehead on the boy's chest while his arms automatically encircled her body. "Me too, Syaoran. Me too.'   
  
"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"  
  
The pair looked up in alarm as Syaoran's bedroom window suddenly crashed in, two figures along with it. The door flew open a milisecond later and in flew Heero Yuy, his gun out and aimed. He scowled darkly as Duo Maxwell and Daidouji Tomoyo beamed sheepishly at him from the glass-covered floor. They were obviously perched up on one of the tree branches outside Syaoran's window, judging from the leaves stuck in their long hairs. "I told you to stay away from them." he snarled as he moved forward to help Tomoyo back up on her feet. He slapped Duo hard across the head. "Baka. Tomoyo could have gotten hurt."  
  
Duo glared back darkly at his comrade as he stood up, rubbing his head. "We were SAFELY up on the tree, Yuy. I'm sure. The window just seemed to appear--" It took him a moment to realize that Eriol was conspicuously missing from the scene.  
  
Syaoran, Heero, and Sakura all looked up at the same time as blinding white light suddenly flashed in the air.  
  
"ERIOL!!!"  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
Three days later...  
  
Heero stuck his head inside Syaoran's bedroom. "How are you feeling?" He asked the younger boy as Syaoran slowly closed his book.   
  
He smiled. "Better." he replied.   
  
"Good." He then ushered Sakura into the room. "You have a visitor." With that, he closed the door.  
  
"Konnichiwa." Sakura greeted him shyly, walking over to his bed and planting a soft kiss on his blushing cheek. She held a brown paper bag towards him. "Tomoyo-chan, Eriol-kun and I made this for you during Home Ec." she told him  
  
He opened the bag and took out some brownies. "Eriol, huh?" he chuckled. "Are you sure he didn't put any poison here?" he joked.  
  
The Card Mistress laughed. "Nah. Tomoyo was watching him like a hawk, and I would've felt it if he used any magic."  
  
"Good, then." He held out one and gingerly nibbled its edge. Finding the taste satisfactory, he braved a bigger bite. He WAS a little hingry, after all. "Oishii."  
  
She flushed. "Arigatou." Sakura watched him eat for a few minutes before clearing her throat. "Tomorrow's Family Day at school, did you know?"  
  
Syaoran dug inside the bag for a second brownie. "Actually, no." He replied before popping the entire slice in his mouth. Sakura made a sour face at him. "Whash aboutsh itsh?" He mumbled through a mouthful of brownie, little specks of the dessert flying out of his mouth as Sakura slapped him playfully on his uninjured arm.   
  
"You've been hanging around Duo for too long already, Syaoran. You're beginning to act like him. Disgusting."  
  
Syaoran laughed. "Don't let him hear you say that." he warned the girl, and they both chuckled.  
"So," he said after a few seconds, turning back to the topic at hand. "What about Family Day?"   
  
Sakura shrugged. "Well, nothing, really. I just figured you should know, since Wei-san and Raiu-san were talking about letting you come to school tomorrow."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"So are you bringing them along?"  
  
Syaoran stared at her in confusion. "Who?"  
  
"Duo-san and your brother. Raiu-san's your family, after all, and Duo has sort-of adopted himself."  
  
The Chinese boy eyed her for a couple of seconds before shaking his head. "I don't think so. I mean, I can imagine Duo playing games tomorrow, but my brother?"  
  
Sakura seemed surprised. "Really? But I mentioned this a while ago to Raiu-san, and he said they'll both go if you take them." she informed the boy as Syaoran thoughtfully munched on another brownie. She pointed at the deep imprint on the brownie's surface. "Eriol-kun stuck his finger inside that." She told him helpfully. Syaoran almost gagged.  
  
"He-he--" he sputtered, his entire face turning green, like he was about to puke.  
  
She shrugged. "We needed to see if the inside was cooked." she said nonchalantly. "Tomoyo was using the fork, and the fudge was too hot for me to handle so Eriol stuck his finger in to check."  
  
Syaoran swallowed before pushing the bag away.  
  
Suddenly he was full.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
"Picnic blanket."  
  
"Check."  
  
"Forks? Knives? Spoons?"  
  
"Check check check!"  
  
"First-aid kit?"  
  
Duo looked at the boy in front of him a little strangely before uttering a somewhat strangled "Check."  
  
"Food?"  
  
Duo ticked another item on his chart. "Check." he announced cheerfully. He ran over all the items again. " Yosh'! I guess that's it." He paused for a second, thinking. He snapped his fingers together, causing Heero, who was busy packing everything into the picnic basket, to glance at him thoughtfully. He held up a finger. "I'll be right back."  
  
He sped into the kitchen and returned beaming, carrying a stack of paper napkins triumphantly in his hands. "See, Hee-chan? I knew we forgot to pack something." He flashed a huge grin at the handsome Wing pilot, feeling a little stupid for being so absolutely giddy about nothing.  
  
Heero merely glanced at him before holding out a hand for the napkins in Duo's hands and placing them among the other items they would be bringing to Syaoran's school's Family Day. "Go and get Syaoran so we can be on our way." he muttered at Duo without looking up from his work.  
  
"Okay!" Duo singsonged before bounding out of the room. 'Man, what the hell is wrong with me today? Why am I feeling so goofy whenever I'm around Heero?' He shook his head, striding purposefully through the living room on his way to Syaoran's bedroom. 'Tch. You're just excited about today. It's nothing, Duo! You'll get over it in no time!' he encouraged himself. He arrived at Syaoran's door and knocked loudly, shouting, "Oi, squirt! Better get your ass out here! Your trigger-happy bro's getting antsy!"   
  
A slightly muffled "Coming!" was heard through the door. A few seconds later Syaoran walked out, looking crisp and outdoorsy in his school PE uniform.   
  
"Aww, don't you look nice! You're cute enough to eat!" Duo gushed, grabbing the irate boy and enveloping him into a bear hug. He viciuosly began ruffling Syaoran's hair.   
  
"Cut it out, Duo!" Syaoran yelled helplessly, struggling within the American's grasp. He wiggled his way out and peered at Duo strangely. "Let me guess. You've had a cup of coffee--no, scratch that--a big mug of coffee, haven't you?"  
  
Duo laughed, placing a hand nonchalantly behind his head. "Naahh. I'm just...man, I'm just excited, Syaoran! I mean, I haven't really done anything like this before in my life!" He grinned at the amber-eyed boy. "It makes me feel like I've been given a chance to be a real kid, y'know?"   
  
Syaoran rolled his eyes at the Shinigami pilot before pivoting on his heel and heading towards the kitchen. "Whatever."  
  
"Oh, and did I tell you that Heero and I packed enough food to feed an army for two weeks? So you better find a place for all that food in your stomach later, else I'm gonna ram all of it down your throat. You hear me?" Duo yelled at him, trying to catch up with the younger boy.  
  
"....Yeah..." Syaoran murmured absentmindedly, eyes wideing at the size of the picnic basked sitting on the countertop. He looked strangely at Heero. "What did you do, 'niisan, empty out the cupboards? We're just going to a Family Day, not a month-long camping trip." he said, somewhat amused.  
  
Heero was unfazed. "We've got Duo with us. Anything we can't eat anymore, he'd be happy to imbibe."  
  
Duo appeared suddenly out of nowhere, slinging an arm around Heero's shoulders. "Yup, that's me! Duo the human garbage compactor!" he rubbed his trim stomach for effect.  
  
"And proud of it, I see." Syaoran remarked dryly. He shared a grin with the other boy.  
  
"Iku zo." Heero called out tersely. With one deft movement, he scooped up the picnic basket and marched stiffly to the door. "Hayaku."  
  
"Yay! We're going! All right!" Duo cried enthusiastically, pumping a fist in the air. He playfully put the unresisting Syoaran in a chokehold, laughing as he dragged him to the door.  
  
"Hey 'niisan," Syaoran called to his brother, who was already out in the hallyway. "I think you should bring a tranquilizer or something. Duo's acting weird."   
  
Heero looked at him calmly before replying. "Why do you think I packed the first-aid kit for?"  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
"Okay, everyone! Students line up on my left, parents or guardians on my right." Terada-sensei called out, struggling to be heard over the din the huge crowd was making. The people complied immediately, chattering all the way. "The picnic area is there near the playing field, so for those who still haven't put down their things yet, now's the time to do it."   
  
Duo clapped his hands together in delight. "Ooh, Hee-chan, c'mon! Let's unpack over there! Or better yet that spot beside the goalpost looks good...no, no, I don't think so--wait! There! Let's put our spread over there! Hmm, no...oh hey, how about..."  
  
Yamazaki, who was standing behind Syaoran in line, laughed at Duo's antics. He was amused by the look of resigned suffering on Syaoran's brother's face. He nudged the boy in front of him gently. "Looks like you brother's about to kill Duo-san in a minute."  
  
Syaoran groaned. "He's not the only one. Duo's been like that all morning! Excited about the event or something, I don't know." His brows furrowed. "I just hope 'niisan doesn't kill him just yet."  
  
"Why not, Li-kun?"  
  
Syaoran grinned wolfishly at his friend. "I wanna be the one to get to hurt him first."   
  
"Really, Syoaran! Such talk about Duo-san in the morning!" Sakura admonished, appearing suddenly over Syaoran's elbow. He whipped around and stared at her, face flaming. When she saw him blushing, her face sympathized with his and began turning fire-engine red. Trying desperately to cover up her embarassment, she frantically searched for anyone to get her out of the situation. Her eyes fell on Yamazaki, who was smirking knowingly at the two of them. "Konnichi wa, Yamazaki-kun!" she said breathlessly to the other boy, flashing him a weak smile. She then turned her attention back to Syaoran. She scuffed one sneaker toe on the ground, and looked shyly up at Syaoran. "Konnichi wa, Syaoran-kun." she greeted softly, a faint blush still on her cheeks.  
  
"Uh h-hi, Sakura-chan." Syaoran mumbled, face still suffused with heat as his heart started beating wildly. 'What am I supposed to do? Hug her? Kiss her? Hold her hand? Do all three? What??' he cried out in his mind, feeling frazzled. Just as he was seriously considering heeding the chorus of voices inside his mind urging him to do all three, a shadow fell over the three students, causing them to look up.  
  
The towering form of Kinomoto Touya stood ever them. Sakura's brother glared malovelently at Syaoran before turning impassively to his sister. "Oi, kaijuu. Dad wants you." he intoned before sauntering away.  
  
"Sakura kaijuu ja nai mon!" Sakura screamed at her brother's back. "Sorry, you guys. I'll be right back. Ja ne!" she flasheda smile before running after her brother.   
  
Syaoran blew out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. Damn.   
  
"Great timing, huh?" Yamazaki observed sympathetically. "Boy, her brother really hates your guts!"  
  
Syaoran stared after Sakura's retreating back and sighed. "Tell me about it." he mumbled.  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
"Heero! HEERO!!!"  
  
Heero looked up from the paper napkins he was stacking to find his comrade running towards him at an alarming speed, a familiar manic glint in his violet eyes that Heero knew all too well.  
  
"What do you want, Maxwell?" The Wing pilot grumbled irritatingly, turning back to his task as Duo plopped down on the blanket next to him, panting. His partner gave him a silly smile, saying, "The games are about to start, man, c'mon!"  
  
"I'm not playing."  
  
"NANI?! But aren't the GAMES the whole point in Family Days or something? If you won't play then we might as well not have come!"  
  
The Wing pilot shook his head firmly. "You go and play. I'll watch our spread." He declared.  
  
Duo eyed him a little strangely before stiffly getting back up on his feet. "Ch. 'Tever you say, man." With that, the braided boy left.  
  
Heero stared after his comrade's retreating back for a long, long time, his mind a jumble of a million thoughts as he tried to cope with the strange emotions overwhelming him ever since he and Duo got up that morning to prepare for the day's event. He was having a hard time adjusting to the fact that, for the very first time in his entire life, he had a family aside from the other Gundam pilots. He had a family to spend fun, quality time with, a family who would look up to him and need him. Most of all, a family that loves him. Syaoran was his family, and, technically, Heero would do anything for the boy. The only thing stopping him was the fact that he was having a lot of trouble accepting that reality.(4)  
  
He looked up again when he heard cheers coming from Syaoran's class. He noticed Duo lined up along with a few other boys, Syaoran's classmates' brothers or cousins, no doubt. They were about to start a basketball game.  
  
The Perfect Soldier watched them set up the game for a while before sighing and standing up, heading over to where class 6-2's families were.  
  
TBC  
  
---Aack! Sorry about that! I ran out of disc space! Anyways the next chapter is already up. Enjoy.  
  
  
FOOTNOTES:  
  
1. Yep, repetitive. I knew that. Let's just note that Sakura-chan's hysterical while babbling.  
  
2. "I love you very much."--or something like that. Ga suki is sort of like a less meaningful way to say 'I love you', I think, while the da yo part just puts more stress on it.  
  
3. "I love you, Sakura. My heart." *starts cooing*  
  
4. God, I have no idea where all these came from! It doesn't make any sense to me! Gomen about that! I'll edit this one as soon as I have organized my scattered thoughts.  
  
Like it? Hate it? Let me know! 


	17. Raiu's Choice

Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unfortunately. All rights to these amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha, Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time suing me! Your 'corporate bogeyman' won't get anything valuable from me, anyway, except for a handful of lousy college grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 standard ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.  
  
Author's Notes: This is actually just the second part of Chapter Fifteen, since I ran out of notepad space. Sadly this is also going to be the second to the last chapter to this fic. Hope you enjoy this piece of insanity!  
  
DESTINY by rei-chan  
  
Chapter Sixteen: Raiu's Choice  
  
  
"Ok, next game would be a target shooting relay. I want four players from 6-2, sensei. The other classes have already finished." The over-all host told Mr. Terada as class 6-7 whooped and celebrated their victory. Mr. Terada turned to his own class and clapped his hands, calling out, "People! I need volunteers for the next game."  
  
Duo leaned towards Syaoran as various hands started waving in the air. "Target shooting, huh?" he whispered, giving the younger boy a sly wink as Syaoran laughed. He motioned towards the three people the teacher had chosen, Tsukishiro Yukito included. "Let's see what these guys are made of." He made a move to raise his hand but stopped in mid-motion when he noticed Heero already lined up with the other men.  
  
Syaoran turned wide, amber eyes at the braided pilot. "I thought you said he wasn't playing?" he asked Duo in confusion, turning his eyes at the uncharacteristic smirk on his brother's face as the gamekeeper handed him a BB gun.  
  
"Well he told me he wasn't." Duo hissed in reply. They both watched as Heero took his place at the very end of the line while the first of the 6-2 players made his shot. Duo shook his head as the pellet completely missed the target. "I could've given that guy a run for his money if I was playing. Not that Heero won't scare him or anything." he told Syaoran as the judges flashed the score. A two.  
  
The next player missed the target a few centimeters. Six.  
  
Next was Yukito. The spectacled boy grinned at Touya and Sakura first before making his shot. The crowd 'oohed' as his bullet hit the blue mark, the circle before the red target. The judges gave him an eight.  
  
Duo whistled at the near-accuracy of the shot. "Tsukishiro-san's not bad at all." he commented as Yukito walked towards the two Kinomotos', smiling. Touya patted him on the back.  
  
"It's 'niisan's turn now, Duo!" Syaoran cried out in excitement as Heero calmly stepped forward and took his place. He expertly clicked the safety latch on his pistol and aimed, his face a mask of careless concentration. He fired.  
  
Bull's eye.  
  
The crowd roared as the judges flashed his score. Ten.   
  
"Player number four wins!" The host announced as everyone started clapping and cheering.  
  
Syaoran and Duo headed over to where Heero stood conversing with the judges while Mr. Terada congratulated him. As they neared the group, the two boys could hear the host saying, "That was an EXPERT shot Li-san. Are you SURE you're not taking lessons?"  
  
"Iie. I never took any lessons."  
  
"'Niisan!" Syaoran called out. "That was a great shot!"  
  
"Yeah, man! I would've done better, though."  
  
"Baka."  
  
"Nice shot, if I do say so myself." All three looked up as Kinomoto Touya stopped in front of them, Yukito and Sakura in tow. He nodded at Heero. "Congratulations." There was no trace of hostility in his voice.  
  
Heero regarded him silently for a few seconds, before nodding his head back once. "Arigatou."  
  
Touya turned his attention to Syaoran, who was quietly watching their exchange, a look of uncertainty on his face. "The kaijuu drools when she sleeps, didja know that?" he said tonelessly.  
  
Duo and Yukito began sniggering uncontrollably as Sakura kicked her brother in the shin.  
  
"ONIICHAN!!!"  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
During lunch, Yamazaki reached for a cup of orange juice and took a swig, and was about to pour himself another when Duo suddenly sprang out from behind one of the trees, yelling, "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Surprised, the chinky-eyed boy dropped his cup, spilling juice all over his shorts. Duo shrieked hysterically at this before grabbing an entire stack of paper napkins and dumping it all on Yamazaki's lap. "ARRRGH!!!! Must kill it...must kill it..." he screamed.  
  
"Duo-san!" Yamazaki yelled in confusion, jumping up from his seat as Duo attacked his shorts with the paper napkins, his violet eyes wide with fright and manic hysteria as he continued babbling incoherently to himself. "What's going on?!"  
  
The braided boy jabbed him on the stomach. "Are you really that incredibly STUPID, you moron! That juice could KILL you!"  
  
The younger boy's eyes widened at this. "HUH?!"  
  
"IT HAS BEEN EXPOSED! THE DIOXYPLANKTONIC HYDRA IN IT COULD'VE KILLED YOU! AAHHHH!!!"  
  
"What are you yabbering about? It was just some juice!"  
  
Duo jumped back on his feet and began examining Yamazaki's eyes, his ears, his nose, and his mouth, all the while muttering to himself. Finally satisfied that the juice had not infected the younger boy in some way, he pushed Yamazaki back down on the blanket and grabbed the jug of juice, sloshing it over the ground. "Didn't your mother teach you anything, Yamazaki? Never ever," he lectured, waggling a finger in front of the confused Yamazaki's face, "imbibe something if you don't know what it's made of!"   
  
"Duo-san," Yamazaki burst out, "it was just orange juice. I know what orange juice is made of! Water and juice concentrate. It's not lethal!" he pointed out.  
  
"That's what you think." Duo replied solemnly. He walked a few steps away then suddenly whipped around, startling the younger boy. "Dioxyplanktonic hydra is extremely toxic. These little critters, when absorbed by the human body, are mostly dormant. But," Duo began pacing again, "when the liquid they happen to be in is drank by a 11 year-old, highly imaginative, chinky-eyed Japanese boy, the results...well..." A big sigh. "You sure you wanna know all this, Yamazaki? I don't want you to get a heart attack or anything."  
  
"Come on, Duo-san, just tell me! If what I am suspecting--based on your story--is true, a heart attack is just icing on the cake! Tell me already!"  
  
"If you say so." Another big sigh. "The infected person's physical body slowly starts to vanish." Duo fixed solemn violet eyes on Yamazaki, whose mouth was hanging open in shock. He slapped a hand over the younger boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry, kid. I tried to warn you, I really did!" he sighed.  
  
"uh...aa." Was all Yamazaki could utter. He looked slowly down at himself. "When do I start disappearing?"  
  
"If the book I read was accurate, you should start disappearing--" he looked at his watch, "--right about...HOLY SHIT Yamazaki what the hell's happening to your hand??"  
  
"No...no....NO!!! AAAAAAAAHHHH!!" Yamazaki screamed, running away from the laughing pilot with his hand cradled protectively against his chest.  
  
Duo shook his head. "You are such a WUSS, Yamazaki-kun."  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
"I'm just gonna go and see where Sakura and Tomoyo were heading to, okay? I'll be right back." Syaoran told his brother before darting off after the two girls. Heero watched as Syaoran skidded to a stop directly in front of Sakura and blushed. He sighed and shook his head as he began clearing up their plates. 'Kids today...' he thought to himself in amusement.  
  
The sound of approaching footsteps quickly alerted the Wing pilot. Knowing that it would probably be unwise if he took out his gun, he powered up all his senses and turned around.  
  
Eriol smiled at him over a plate of blueberry cheesecake(1). "Hello, Raiu. I brought some dessert."  
  
Heero didn't answer as Eriol took off his shoes and seated himself in front of him, gently placing the plate on top of the cooler. He went about stacking their utensils, all the while keeping an ear out for the news he knew the English boy was bringing from the Elders.   
  
Sure enough, it wasn't even a minute until Eriol spoke up, "Your destiny in this time has been fulfilled."  
  
The Wing pilot didn't even blink. "I know."  
  
Clow's reincarnation watched him tidy up their spread for a while. "Did you like how it went?" he asked softly.  
  
Heero paused, and it took a moment before he replied, "Yes, very much." Was his almost reluctant admittance.   
  
Soft laughter. "I'm glad you did. Xiao Lang seems to have gotten used to your's and Duo-san's company. Not to mention Sakura-san and Daidouji-chan."  
  
"Aa." Opening the picnic basket, Heero started putting their leftovers inside. Eriol held out a hand.  
  
"Let me help."  
  
"Aa."  
  
The two boys spent a few minutes in silence as they worked, Heero lost in his thoughts. In a way, he knew just what Eriol's news was. The problem was, he still had not figured out an answer to the question that he knew the master sorcerer would be springing any time soon.  
  
"Have you made your decision? Whether to stay or not?"  
  
It took an even longer time for him to answer. Snapping the lid back on the basket, Heero raised his eyes to meet Eriol's dark ones for the very first time since he arrived.   
  
"Not yet."  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
After lunch, the games went on. Syaoran joined a track contest and a soccer game with his classmates, while Duo managed to beat one of Syaoran's teachers in a chess game. The three boys teamed up and joined an obstacles relay, tying to the second place with the Kinomotos. Chiharu's family placed first. On the three-legged race the two pilots exhibited their perfectly matched paces as they raced on, finishing the course a hairsbreadth ahead from the duo that was Touya and Yukito. The two older brothers of the Card Captors also joined an egg-eating contest. Touya won on that one.(2)  
  
Finally, at the end of the day, three very tired yet very happy boys drove home. Heero took the wheel. Duo was too wound up to drive properly.  
  
"--and I told him that his body will disappear right this moment and he flipped out!" His comrade was regaling Syaoran with the story of the prank he pulled on Yamazaki.   
  
The younger boy laughed and patted Duo on the back. "Better be careful next time, though. He's bound to come up with SOMETHING against you." he warned the still-chuckling pilot as Heero steered the car to their street.  
  
'...next time...' The words rang hollowly in Heero's head as he listened with half an ear to the other two's conversation. '...next time...'  
  
'Have you made your decision yet?'  
  
'Not yet.'  
  
He thought of Ieran, his mother. The woman who had sacrificed a lot in order for him to live. He thought of his father, the man he never knew, the man from whom he inherited his powers. He thought of his sisters. He thought of their cousins. He thought of Syaoran...  
  
Syaoran...  
  
His brother needed him, he knew that. Even more than the clan needed him. He could feel it. As much as Syaoran tried to pretend that he was mature enough to handle the burdens of being the second-born heir to the clan, he was just a little kid. A kid who deserves to have all the fun in life. A kid who deserves to go to the mall and watch movies and hangout with friends. A kid who deserves to be given a break.  
  
Syaoran needed him.  
  
But the future needed Heero Yuy as well.  
  
The future...  
  
He thought of his co-pilots. Quatre was probably worried sick right at the moment. Trowa and Wufei were probably searching every place they could think of for Duo and himself. If he was looking for a family to come home to back in the future, he didn't have to look far.  
  
They WERE family.  
  
They ARE family.  
  
And those civilians...  
  
He thought of the endangered lives of all the innocent back at the Colonies. He thought of all the Oz soldiers, who were probably wreaking havoc in space at the moment due to their absence. He thought of Sally and the Preventers, the scientists...all the people who were counting on him to set everything right.  
  
He thought of the girl and her puppy.  
  
As he turned towards their apartment's driveway, Heero knew that he had made his choice.  
  
TBC  
  
--Yes, that's really it. Sorry if it was kinda short.  
Some of you might think that it's rather stupid that I used the Family Day concept for chapters fifteen and sixteen. I just figured it would be appropriate, since Sakura and Co. are all still in elementary. Back in my old school, we used to celebrate Family Days annually, and I and my classmates had tons of fun. (Mind the past tense. Hey, I WAS a kid before!)  
  
FOOTNOTES:  
  
1. *drool* Erm, excuse me. *wipes up the mess*  
  
2. No questions asked here. Think CCS 2nd Movie, the scene when he and Yukito were eating spaghetti. *swirly eyes*  
  
Like it? Hate it? Let me know! 


	18. Epilogue

Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't, unfortunately. All rights to these amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha, Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time suing me! Your 'corporate bogeyman' won't get anything from me anyway, except for a bunch of lousy college grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a Pentel point 5 standard ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.  
  
Author's Notes: Well, this is it. *sniff* The dreaded EPILOGUE. *wipes eyes with her t-shirt* I would like to thank all of you people who have tirelessly read and reviewed this story. I LOVE YOU GUYS! Special thanks to Natsu-chan for providing me with all the helpful information. ICAN's go girl! Don't let those Goldilocks girls put you down. Here's one thought you should always keep in mind: WE ARE GODDESSESS!!! *smiles*  
  
To everyone, thank you. It has been my greatest pleasure writing this for you. 'Til the next story!  
  
DESTINY by rei-chan  
  
EPILOGUE: Say Goodbye  
  
"Systems check complete. Gundam Wing status report, 100% operationable."  
  
"Affirmative on that, 01. Deathscythe's as fit as a fiddle."   
  
Sighing, Duo stretched his arms over his head and watched as his friend fiddled with the controls of his Gundam through his visuals unit. "I guess this is it, ne, Yuy?" he murmured sadly, his eyes distant as he watched his friend set and reset his mecha's configuration.  
  
Without looking up, Heero nodded sharply. "Hai."  
  
Duo folded his arms together and rested them on Deathsythe's control panel. "We could always stay a little longer, you know." he suggested timidly, turning on his external optical sensors and watching as the whole Li clan assembled on the forest clearing to bid their goodbyes. "I'm sure Trowa and the guys will hold up fine without us for a couple more months."  
  
"Iie. The future needs us more than they do." With that, the Wing pilot palmed a button, causing his cockpit to hiss open, then stepped out of his Gundam to descend. The Deathscythe pilot watched his comrade silently for a few more seconds, before sighing in defeat and squeezing out of his own cockpit as well.  
  
Syaoran watched the two pilots climb down from their mobile suits numbly. Beside him, Ieran was openly weeping as she mourned for the son she had just found and was about to lose once more to the cadence of destiny. The Elders were assembled in a neat line behind the mother and son, all murmuring quietly to themselves as Heero and Duo headed over to where they were all standing.  
  
Duo smiled bitterly as Meilin ran over to give him a hug. He chuckled dryly to himself as he watched the younger girl hesitate before throwing her arms around Heero, crying. Surprisingly, the Wing pilot hugged her back. Turning to Ieran, the braided boy said, "I guess this is goodbye, then, Ieran-san."  
  
She smiled at him through her tears before nodding. "Take care of yourselves out there, Duo-san. And remember that you are always welcome to come back. Always." Duo smiled before leaning forward to give the woman he had learned to love a final hug goodbye. Turning to Syaoran, he whispered, "You know what you have to do, kid." Duo's voice faltered, and promptly Syaoran stepped forward into Duo's waiting arms. "Take good care of everyone, Syaoran." he murmured into the younger boy's hair, "If all of it seems too much, just remember...there's someone out there who's watching your back for you."   
  
Numb with grief, Syaoran merely nodded. He gave Duo one last squeeze and let go.  
  
As Duo moved to bid each of the Li household members goodbye, Heero broke away from the still-sobbing Meilin and headed over to his weeping mother. "This is for the best." he intoned gently, taking hold of both his mother's hands and trapping them in his own. "Syaoran will do a good job as the heir, you know that."  
  
Ieran sniffled sadly as she held out her arms to embrace her son. "I know, Raiu." she sobbed. Heero wordlessly slipped inside the safety of his mother's embrace and closed his eyes, willing the tightness in his throat to go away as Ieran continually murmured his name. "I'm going to miss you, son."  
  
"Me, too." He stepped back from her to look at her directly in the eye. "Okaasan."  
  
She smiled a bittersweet smile at him before leaning forward for another hug.  
  
"'Niisan."  
  
Heero broke away from his mother when he heard Syaoran call his name. Moving to stand in front of his brother, Heero stooped forward and rested his hands on his knees, his face at level with Syaoran's. "What is it?" he asked.  
  
His brother seemed to be struggling to speak. "Anou, uh...Stay alert out there, 'kay? Mother and I will be expecting both you and Duo-san during the New Year, and the Chinese New Year."  
  
Heero smiled. "I will." he promised as he straightened his back and affectionately reached down to ruffle Syaoran's brown hair. Turning to the Elders, he gave them all a respectful bow before pivoting on his heel and heading back towards his Gundam. Duo was already halfway up Deathscythe.  
  
Syaoran watched the two pilots silently, his face an expressionless mask as he struggled to contain the sadness and anger in his heart. 'This is his destiny. This is OUR destiny. This is how everything should be.' He kept on reminding himself.   
  
But still, there was something missing.  
  
"Matte kudasai, 'niisan!" he suddenly called out. Heero, who was about to climb up Wing, looked solemnly back at his brother, then stepped down. He began walking back to where everyone was standing. Syaoran met him halfway.  
  
"Hey," Syaoran called to his brother. Once he was face to face with Heero, he didn't know what to say. He sighed, then tried to look his brother in the eye and failing. He settled for looking at the ground, fists clenched. "I don't usually do this, and I'm not really sure if you're gonna accept it. But since you're the only brother I have and I'm not gonna see you for a long time, I guess I might as well."   
  
With that said, he wrapped his wiry arms around Heero's waist and buried his dark head into his stomach. Suddenly his eyes were stinging. He closed his eyes and held on tighter, and was surprised when he felt arms snaking around and hugging him back. A gentle squeeze, and Heero pushed him back, holding him by the shoulders. Heero stooped down, face level with Syaoran's.  
  
"I don't usually talk this much, but--" he smirked at his brother, whose eyes he noticed were watering. "--since you're the only brother I have, and I'm not gonna see you for a long time, I might as well say it." Heero gave the younger boy's shoulders a gentle squeeze. "I'm gonna miss you very much."  
  
Overcome, Syaoran closed his eyes, trying to stem the flow of tears. When he opened them, Heero was gone from his side, and Wing's cockpit was sliding shut.  
  
"You can open up the portal now. We're ready." Heero's voice echoed from the external speakers as Wing hovered over the ground. Pai Kwa nodded, and soon the air was filled with voices as the Elders combined their magic to defy time once more.  
  
As the wind picked up speed and the sky darkened as lightning rippled across its expanse, the time portal opened.   
  
Syaoran watched the two mechas fly back to where they came from.  
  
'Take care, 'niisan. And don't get yourself killed. I'll still need you back here someday.'  
  
~ 0 ~  
  
AC 196, NEW YEAR'S EVE, one year after the time portal opened...  
  
"Duo."  
  
Duo Maxwell looked up from his glass of wine when he heard someone call his name. "Hai?" he asked cheerfully, motioning towards the three empty seats at his table. "Have a seat, you guys."  
  
Quatre Winner, Trowa Barton, and Chang Wufei all complied to his invitation silently.  
  
The Shinigami pilot smiled at his comrades before speaking, "What can I do for you?"  
  
Wufei got right down to the point. "Where's Heero?" the Shenlong pilot inquired stiffly as Quatre nodded in agreement. "We haven't seen him since Relena made her speech, and if there's---"  
  
"Do you guys believe in destiny?" Duo interrupted him as he absently started twirling a piece of sushi with his chopsticks. He looked at all their blank faces. "You don't? I do. I mean, I didn't use to, but now that we've won the war, now that we've achieved the one thing we have all been clamoring for ever since we learned how to talk, I realized that everything that we went through was all part of it." He told them solemnly.  
  
Trowa and Quatre exchanged confused glances at each other while Wufei merely stared at their braided co-pilot. The Arabian pilot opened his mouth to talk but Duo beat him to it.   
  
"It also just dawned on me. Many people believe that one's destiny can only be walked through by choosing which path to take. But in reality, it just doesn't happen that way. Destiny chooses US, at the same time that we choose it. That's how everything works."  
  
"Okay, who are you and what have you done to Duo Maxwell?" Quatre joked, although there was an underlying note of seriousness in his humor.   
  
Wufei snorted.  
  
"No, I'm serious! I just never thought about it this way before."  
  
Wufei held up one hand. "I'm glad you finally decided to see things in a normal point of view, but you didn't answer our question. Where's Yuy?"  
  
Trowa nodded solemnly.  
  
"D'you guys really wanna know?"   
  
"If we didn't, would we have asked?" Quatre's voice.  
  
"Alright." Duo stood up and walked a few paces away, eyes distant. He looked like he was thinking of something very amusing. After a few seconds, he looked back to where the others were sitting. "It's simple, really." he laughed, confusing all of them. "Hee-chan made a promise, and he kept it!"  
  
"What did he promise?" Wufei inquired, getting curious.  
  
"He promised someone he'd return for New Year, y'know, spend the holidays with them."  
  
Quatre was getting impatient. "With whom? Duo, you're hedging."  
  
"You guys remember the time when we disappeared? Both of us?" Duo demanded.  
  
"Yeah...what about it?"   
  
"Well...okay. Let's just put it this way. When we were gone, Heero found something he'd been looking for all his life. Now, he's returned to it. And he's never been happier, I'm sure of it."  
  
"Duo, what are you yabbering about? Where's Heero, damnit?"  
  
A satisfied sigh.   
  
"He went home."  
  
  
  
==owari==  
  
A little teaser for you to ponder on: What happens when your best friend falls in love with YOUR girlfriend? And to make things worse, you find out that you are actually IN LOVE with HIS girlfriend? "My Best Friend's Girlfriend" (written by ME of course!), coming soon, guys! ^-^  
  
  
Oh, and yeeees! Due to the insistent demands (mostly from my friend Shinrai and my sister, but I'm hoping more will asking for it *hint* *hint*) I will be writing a sequel to this. I won't promise that it'll come out any time soon. School's fast approaching and I have LOTS to do, so I probably won't have much time, but I WILL make a sequel. Death's Honor! For those who want to receive email notifications whenever I update, feel free to email me at rei_chan22@hotmail.com and I'll tell you right away if I've uploaded. I hope I get more reviews for this one! In the meantime, check out my other works! Most are one-shots, but, hell, writing a LONG one is HARD!  
  
Like it? Hate it? Let me know! 


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